Job 34

Elihu Asserts God’s Justice

1 Then Elihu answered and said:

2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
and give ear to me, you who know;
3 for ^athe ear tests words
as the palate tastes food.
4 Let us choose ^bwhat is right;
let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job has said, ‘I am ^cin the right,
and ^dGod has taken away my right;
6 in spite of my right I am counted a liar;
my wound is incurable, though I am ^ewithout transgression.’
7 What man is like Job,
who ^fdrinks up scoffing like water,
8 who travels in company with evildoers
and walks ^gwith wicked men?
9 For ^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.
11 For according to ^jthe work of a man he will repay him,
and ^kaccording to his ways he will make it befall him.
12 Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
and ^lthe Almighty will not pervert justice.
13 Who gave him charge over the earth,
and who ^mlaid on him ^{▼▼Hebrew lacks on him} the whole world?
14 If he should ^oset his heart to it
and ^pgather to himself his ^qspirit and his breath,
15 all 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,
18 who ^tsays to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
19 who ^ushows no partiality to princes,
nor regards the rich ^vmore than the poor,
for ^wthey are all the work of his hands?
20 In 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.
22 There is no ^acgloom or ^addeep darkness
where evildoers may hide themselves.
23 For God ^{▼▼Hebrew he} has no need to consider a man further,
that he should go before God in ^afjudgment.
24 He ^agshatters the mighty without investigation
and sets ^ahothers in their place.
25 Thus, knowing their works,
he ^aioverturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
26 He strikes them for their wickedness
in a place for all to see,
27 because they turned aside from ^ajfollowing him
and had no regard for any of his ways,
28 so that they ^akcaused the cry of the poor to come to him,
and he ^alheard the cry of the afflicted—
29 When he is quiet, who can condemn?
When he hides his face, who can behold him,
whether it be a nation or a man?—
30 that 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’?
33 Will 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}
34 Men 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.’
36 Would that Job were tried to the end,
because he answers like wicked men.
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he ^aqclaps his hands among us
and multiplies his words against God.”