Job 34

Elihu Vindicates God’s Justice

1 Then Elihu continued and said, 2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who know.
3 “For ^athe ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
4 “Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 “For Job has said, ‘ ^bI am righteous,
But ^cGod has taken away my right;
6 ^{▼▼ Or Although I am right I am accounted a liar}Should I lie concerning my right?
My ^{▼▼ Lit arrow
,} ^fwound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
7 “What man is like Job,
Who ^gdrinks up derision like water,
8 Who goes ^hin company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?
9 “For he has said, ‘ ⁱIt profits a man nothing
When he ^{▼▼ Or takes delight in God}is pleased with God.’

10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to ^kdo wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
11 “For He pays a man according to ^lhis work,
And makes ^{▼▼ Lit a man}him find it according to his way.
12 “Surely, ⁿGod will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13 “Who ^ogave Him authority over the earth?
And who ^phas laid on Him the whole world?
14 “If He should ^{▼▼ Lit set His mind on Himself}determine to do so,
If He should ^rgather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
15 All ^sflesh would perish together,
And man would ^treturn to dust.

16 “But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
17 “Shall ^uone who hates justice rule?
And ^vwill you condemn the righteous mighty One,
18 Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’;
19 Who shows no ^wpartiality to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the ^xwork of His hands?
20 “In a moment they die, and ^yat midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And ^zthe mighty are taken away without a hand.

21 “For ^aaHis eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.
22 “There is ^abno darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 “For He does not ^ac need to consider a man further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
24 “He breaks in pieces ^admighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.
25 “Therefore He ^aeknows their works,
And ^afHe overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
26 “He ^agstrikes them like the wicked
^{▼▼ Lit In the place of the ones seeing}In a public place,
27 Because they ^aiturned aside from following Him,
And ^ajhad no regard for any of His ways;
28 So that they caused ^akthe cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He might ^alhear the cry of the afflicted—
29 When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
That is, in regard to both nation and man?—
30 So that ^amgodless men would not rule
Nor be snares of the people.

31 “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne chastisement;
I will not offend anymore;
32 Teach me what I do not see;
If I have ^andone iniquity,
I will not do it again’?
33 “Shall He ^aorecompense on your terms, because you have rejected it?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.
34 “Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
35 ‘Job ^apspeaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
36 ‘Job ought to be tried ^{▼▼ Or to the end}to the limit,
Because he answers ^arlike wicked men.
37 ‘For he adds ^asrebellion to his sin;
He ^atclaps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.’”