Job 33

Elihu Rebukes Job

1 “But now, hear my speech, O Job,
and listen to all my words.
2Behold, I ^aopen my mouth;
the tongue in my mouth speaks.
3My words declare the uprightness of my heart,
and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
4 ^bThe Spirit of God has made me,
and ^cthe breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 ^dAnswer me, if you can;
^eset your words in order before me; take your stand.
6Behold, I am toward God as you are;
I too was pinched off from a piece of ^fclay.
7Behold, no ^gfear of me need terrify you;
my ^hpressure will not be heavy upon you.
8 “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
and I have heard the sound of your words.
9You say, ‘I am ⁱpure, without ^jtransgression;
I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
10Behold, he finds occasions against me,
he ^kcounts me as his enemy,
11he ^lputs my feet in the stocks
and ^mwatches all my paths.’
12 “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
for God is greater than man.
13Why do you ⁿcontend against him,
saying, ‘He ^owill answer none of man’s ▼

▼Hebrew his

words’? ▼

▼Or  He will not answer for any of his own words

14For God ^rspeaks in one way,
^sand in two, though man ^tdoes not perceive it.
15In ^ua dream, in ^va vision of ^wthe night,
when ^xdeep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds,
16then he ^yopens the ears of men
and terrifies them with warnings,
17that he may turn man aside from his ^zdeed
and conceal pride from a man;
18he keeps back his soul from the pit,
his life from ^aaperishing by the sword.
19 “Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed
and with continual strife in his ^abbones,
20so that his ^aclife loathes bread,
and his appetite ^adthe choicest food.
21His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
and his bones that were not seen ^aestick out.
22His soul draws near ^afthe pit,
and his life to ^agthose who bring death.
23If there be for him ^ahan angel,
^aia mediator, ^ajone of the thousand,
to declare to man what is ^akright for him,
24and he is merciful to him, and says,
‘Deliver him from going down into the pit;
I have found ^ala ransom;
25let his flesh ^ambecome fresh with youth;
let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;
26then man ▼

▼Hebrew he

^aoprays to God, and he accepts him;
he ^apsees his face with a shout of joy,
and he ^aqrestores to man his righteousness.
27He sings before men and says:
‘I ^arsinned and perverted what was right,
and it was not repaid to me.
28He has redeemed my ^assoul from going down ^atinto the pit,
and my life shall ^aulook upon the light.’
29 “Behold, God does all these things,
twice, ^avthree times, with a man,
30to bring back his soul from the pit,
that he may be lighted with ^awthe light of life.
31Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
32If you have any words, ^axanswer me;
^ayspeak, for I desire to justify you.
33If not, ^azlisten to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”