Job 35

Elihu Sharply Rebukes Job

1 Then Elihu continued and said,

2 “Do you think this is in accordance with ^ajustice?
Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
3 “For you say, ‘ ^bWhat advantage will it be to ^{▼▼Or me}You?
^dWhat benefit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’
4 “I will answer you,
And your friends with you.
5 “ ^eLook at the heavens and see;
And look at ^fthe clouds--they are higher than you.
6 “If you have sinned, ^gwhat do you accomplish against Him?
And if your wrongdoings are many, what do you do to Him?
7 “If you are righteous, ^hwhat do you give to Him,
Or what does He receive from your hand?
8 “Your wickedness is for a man like yourself,
And your righteousness is for a son of man.

9 “Because of the ⁱmultitude of oppressions they cry out;
They cry for help because of the arm ^jof the mighty.
10 “But ^kno one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who ^lgives songs in the night,
11 Who ^mteaches us more than the animals of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12 “There ⁿthey cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil people.
13 “ ^oGod certainly will not listen to ^{▼▼Or falsehood}an empty cry,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.
14 “How much less when ^qyou say you do not look at Him,
The ^rcase is before Him, and you must wait for Him!
15 “And now, because He has not avenged His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged ^{▼▼Or arrogance}wrongdoing well,
16 So Job opens his mouth with empty words;
He multiplies words ^twithout knowledge.”