Job 35

Elihu Condemns Job

1 And Elihu answered and said:

2 “Do you think this to be just?
Do you say, ^a‘It is my right before God,’
3 that you ask, ^b‘What advantage have I?
How am I better off than if I had sinned?’
4 I will answer you
and ^cyour friends with you.
5 ^dLook at the heavens, and see;
and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.
6 If you have sinned, ^ewhat do you accomplish against him?
And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
7 ^fIf you are righteous, what do you give to him?
Or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,
and your righteousness ^ga son of man.
9 “Because of the multitude of ^hoppressions people ⁱcry out;
they call for help because of the arm of ^jthe mighty. ^{▼▼Or the many}
10 But none says, ‘Where is God my ^lMaker,
who gives ^msongs in the night,
11 who teaches us ⁿmore than the beasts of the earth
and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
12 There they ^ocry out, but he does not answer,
because of the pride of evil men.
13 Surely God does not hear an empty cry,
nor does the Almighty regard it.
14 How much less when you say that you ^pdo not see him,
that the case is before him, and you are ^qwaiting for him!
15 And now, because ^rhis anger does not punish,
and he does not take much note of transgression, ^{▼▼Theodotion, Symmachus (compare Vulgate); the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain}
16 Job opens his mouth in empty talk;
he ^tmultiplies words ^uwithout knowledge.”