Job 34 - Good News Translation (GNT)

34 1-2 You men are so wise, so clever;
listen now to what I am saying.
3 You know good food when you taste it,
but not wise words when you hear them.
4 It is up to us to decide the case.
5 Job claims that he is innocent,
that God refuses to give him justice.
6 He asks, “How could I lie and say I am wrong?
I am fatally wounded, but I am sinless.”

7 Have you ever seen anyone like this man Job?
He never shows respect for God.
8 He likes the company of evil people
and goes around with sinners.
9 He says that it never does any good
to try to follow God's will.

10 Listen to me, you men who understand!
Will Almighty God do what is wrong?
11 (A)He rewards people for what they do
and treats them as they deserve.
12 Almighty God does not do evil;
he is never unjust to anyone.
13 Did God get his power from someone else?
Did someone put him in charge of the world?
14 If God took back the breath of life,
15 then everyone living would die
and turn into dust again.

16 Now listen to me, if you are wise.
17 Are you condemning the righteous God?
Do you think that he hates justice?
18 God condemns kings and rulers
when they are worthless or wicked.
19 He does not take the side of rulers
nor favor the rich over the poor,
for he created everyone.
20 We may suddenly die at night.
God strikes us down and we perish;
he kills the mighty with no effort at all.
21 He watches every step we take.
22 There is no darkness dark enough
to hide a sinner from God.
23 God does not need to set a time[a]
for us to go and be judged by him.
24 He does not need an investigation
to remove leaders and replace them with others.
25 Because he knows what they do;
he overthrows them and crushes them by night.
26 He punishes sinners where all can see it,
27 because they have stopped following him
and ignored all his commands.
28 They forced the poor to cry out to God,
and he heard their calls for help.

29 If God decided to do nothing at all,
no one could criticize him.
If he hid his face, we would be helpless.
30 There would be nothing that nations could do
to keep godless oppressors from ruling them.

31 Job, have you confessed your sins to God
and promised not to sin again?
32 Have you asked God to show you your faults,
and have you agreed to stop doing evil?
33 Since you object to what God does,
can you expect him to do what you want?
The decision is yours, not mine;
tell us now what you think.

34 Any sensible person will surely agree;
and the wise who hear me will say
35 that Job is speaking from ignorance
and that nothing he says makes sense.
36 Think through everything that Job says;
you will see that he talks like an evil man.
37 To his sins he adds rebellion;
in front of us all he mocks God.

Footnotes

  1. Job 34:23 Probable text a time; Hebrew yet.

Cross references

  1. Job 34:11 : Ps 62:12

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34 And Elihu answereth and saith: 2 Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me. 3 For the ear doth try words, And the palate tasteth to eat. 4 Judgment let us choose for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what [is] good. 5 For Job hath said, `I have been righteous, And God h...
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Job 34 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

34 And so Elihu pronounced, and spake also these things, (and said,) 2 Wise men, hear ye my words, and learned men, harken ye (to) me; 3 for the ear proveth words, and the throat deemeth meat by taste (and the tongue judgeth food by taste). 4 Choose we doom to us (Let us use judgement); and see we a...
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Job 34 - World English Bible (WEB)

34 Moreover Elihu answered, 2 “Hear my words, you wise men. Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.3 For the ear tries words, as the palate tastes food.4 Let us choose for us that which is right. Let us know among ourselves what is good.5 For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, God has taken away my righ...
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Job 34 - The Voice (VOICE)

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Job 34 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Testing Job’s Claims34 Then Elihu answered: 2 “Hear my words, you wise men; give ear to me, you men of learning.3 For the ear tests words as the mouth tastes food.4 Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us learn together what is good. 5 “For Job says, ‘I am righteous, but God has deprived m...
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Job 34 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

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Job 34 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

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Job 34 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

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Job 34 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Elihu Proclaims God’s Justice34 Then Elihu continued and said: 2 ‘Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you who know;3 for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food.4 Let us choose what is right; let us determine among ourselves what is good.5 For Job has said, “I am innocent, and God...
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Job 34 - New Living Translation (NLT)

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Job 34 - New Life Version (NLV)

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