mSee ch. 38:4-7
Job 34
Elihu Asserts God’s Justice
1Then Elihu answered and said: 2“Hear my words, you wise men,and give ear to me, you who know;
3for athe ear tests words
as the palate tastes food.
4Let us choose bwhat is right;
let us know among ourselves what is good.
5For Job has said, ‘I am cin the right,
and dGod has taken away my right;
6in spite of my right I am counted a liar;
my wound is incurable, though I am ewithout transgression.’
7What man is like Job,
who fdrinks up scoffing like water,
8who travels in company with evildoers
and walks gwith wicked men?
9For hhe has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
that he should take delight in God.’
10“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:
far be it from God that he should ido wickedness,
and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
11For according to jthe work of a man he will repay him,
and kaccording to his ways he will make it befall him.
12Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
and lthe Almighty will not pervert justice.
13Who gave him charge over the earth,
and who mlaid on him ▼
▼Hebrew lacks on him
the whole world?14If he should oset his heart to it
and pgather to himself his qspirit and his breath,
15all flesh would perish together,
and man would rreturn to dust.
16“If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I say.
17 sShall one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
18who tsays to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
19who ushows no partiality to princes,
nor regards the rich vmore than the poor,
for wthey are all the work of his hands?
20In a moment xthey die;
at ymidnight the people are shaken and pass away,
and the mighty are taken away by zno human hand.
21“For his eyes are on aathe ways of a man,
and he sees all his absteps.
22There is no acgloom or addeep darkness
where evildoers may hide themselves.
23For God ▼
▼Hebrew he
has no need to consider a man further,that he should go before God in afjudgment.
24He agshatters the mighty without investigation
and sets ahothers in their place.
25Thus, knowing their works,
he aioverturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
26He strikes them for their wickedness
in a place for all to see,
27because they turned aside from ajfollowing him
and had no regard for any of his ways,
28so that they akcaused the cry of the poor to come to him,
and he alheard the cry of the afflicted—
29When he is quiet, who can condemn?
When he hides his face, who can behold him,
whether it be a nation or a man?—
30that a godless man should not reign,
that he should not ensnare the people.
31“For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;
32 amteach me what I do not see;
if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
33Will he then make repayment to suit you,
because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
therefore andeclare what you know. ▼
▼The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 29–33 is uncertain
34Men of understanding will say to me,
and the wise man who hears me will say:
35‘Job apspeaks without knowledge;
his words are without insight.’
36Would that Job were tried to the end,
because he answers like wicked men.
37For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he aqclaps his hands among us
and multiplies his words against God.”
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