Job 36

1Elihu continued to speak. And this is what he said.

2‘Please be patient and listen to me.

I want to say something else on behalf of God.

3I have learned many things during my life.

And I know that God is always fair.

4Everything that I say to you is true.

You can be sure about that because I am a really wise man.

5God is powerful and he does not hate anyone.

But when he decides to do something, he does it.

6He does not let bad people live for a long time.

But he is always fair to people who have problems.

7He sees people who live the right way.

And he makes them famous so that they rule like kings.

8Sometimes people have trouble in their lives.

And they cannot discover what has caused their trouble.

9Then he tells them what they have done.

They have done wrong things and they have not listened to him.

10He causes them to listen to him.

And he tells them that they must not continue to sin.

11God wants them to be his servants and to obey him.

If they do that, they will be rich. And they will be happy until they die.

12But some people do not listen to God and they do not obey him.

Such people do not know the right way to live.

And someone will fight against them and kill them.

13When people do not obey God, they become angry.

Even when God punishes them, they do not ask him to help them.

14They die while they are still young.

They have wasted their lives. They have lived among men who have sex with other men.

15But God helps people who have troubles.

And he causes them to hear his words.

16God does not want you to have trouble in your life, Job.

He wants to make you safe and to take your problems away.

He wants you to have a comfortable life.

And he wants you to have plenty of nice food.

17But now God is punishing you because of the wrong things that you have done.

But, in the end, he will be fair to you.

18You are a rich man, but be careful.

Rich people often do wrong things to get even more money.

19You may be a rich man, but this will not help you.

Even if you try, you will not be able to get out of trouble.

20Do not wait until it is night.

Do not take people away from their homes in the dark.

21God let you have troubles in your life. He did this to make you think about your life.

So be careful that you live the right way.

22You know that God is powerful.

And he is also the best teacher.

23Nobody can tell God what he should do.

And no one can say to him, “You have done things that are wrong.”

24People sing songs to say that God is great.

You should do that, too.

25Men everywhere have seen the things that God has done.

But we can only see them from far away.

26God is so great that we cannot know him completely.

We do not know how long he has lived.

27It is God who takes water from the earth.

Then he makes it into rain.

28The rain falls from the clouds.

And so there is enough water for everyone.

29Nobody understands how the clouds move through the sky.

And nobody understands the noise that storms make.

30In a storm, the clouds are dark. But he causes the light to shine brightly.

It shines even on things that are deep under the sea.

31This is the way that God rules the world.

He sends storms. But he gives to people all the food that they need.

32He sends the storms where he wants them to go.

And he tells them what they should hit.

33Loud noises in the sky show that a storm is coming soon.

Then even the cows in the fields know that there will soon be a storm.’