Elihu Vindicates God’s Justice
34 Then Elihu continued and said,
2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who understand.
3 For (A)the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
4 Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
Let us understand among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job has said, ‘(B)I am righteous,
But (C)God has taken away my right;
6 [a]Should I lie about my right?
My [b](D)wound is incurable, though I am without wrongdoing.’
7 What man is like Job,
Who (E)drinks up derision like water,
8 Who goes (F)in company with the workers of injustice,
And walks with wicked people?
9 For he has said, ‘(G)It is of no use to a man
When he becomes friends with God.’
10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to (H)do evil,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
11 For He repays a person for (I)his work,
And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s [c]behavior.
12 (J)God certainly will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13 Who (K)gave Him authority over the earth?
And who (L)has placed the whole world on Him?
14 If He were to [d]determine to do so,
If He were to (M)gather His [e]spirit and His breath to Himself,
15 [f](N)Humanity would perish together,
And mankind would (O)return to dust.
16 “But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
17 Shall (P)one who hates justice rule?
And (Q)will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
18 Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’
To nobles, ‘You wicked one’;
19 Who shows no (R)partiality to the prominent,
Nor regards the rich as above the poor,
Since they are all the (S)work of His hands?
20 In a moment they die, and (T)at midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And (U)the powerful are taken away without a hand.
21 “For (V)His eyes are upon the ways of a person,
And He sees all his steps.
22 There is (W)no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of injustice can hide themselves.
23 For He does not (X)need to consider a person further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
24 He breaks in pieces the (Y)mighty without investigation,
And sets others in their place.
25 Therefore He (Z)knows their deeds,
And (AA)He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
26 He (AB)strikes them like the wicked
[g]In a public place,
27 Because they (AC)turned aside from following Him,
And (AD)had no regard for any of His ways,
28 So that they caused (AE)the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He would (AF)hear the cry of the afflicted—
29 When He keeps quiet, who can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can look at Him,
That is, regarding both nation and a person?—
30 So that (AG)godless people would not rule,
Nor be snares for the people.
31 “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have endured punishment;
I will not offend anymore;
32 Teach me what I do not see;
If I have (AH)done wrong,
I will not do it again’?
33 Shall God (AI)repay on your terms, because you have rejected His?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.
34 Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
35 ‘Job (AJ)speaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
36 Oh that Job were tested [h]to the limit,
Because [i]he answers (AK)like sinners.
37 For he adds (AL)rebellion to his sin;
He (AM)claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.’”
Footnotes
- Job 34:6 Or Although I am right I am accounted a liar.
- Job 34:6 Lit arrow
- Job 34:11 Lit way
- Job 34:14 Lit set His mind on Himself
- Job 34:14 Or Spirit
- Job 34:15 Lit All flesh
- Job 34:26 Lit In the place of the ones seeing
- Job 34:36 Or to the end
- Job 34:36 Lit of answers like
Cross references
- Job 34:3 : Job 12:11
- Job 34:5 : Job 13:18; 33:9
- Job 34:5 : Job 27:2
- Job 34:6 : Job 6:4
- Job 34:7 : Job 15:16
- Job 34:8 : Job 22:15
- Job 34:9 : Job 21:15; 35:3; Ps 50:18
- Job 34:10 : Gen 18:25; Deut 32:4; Job 8:3; 34:12; Rom 9:14
- Job 34:11 : Job 34:25; Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; Jer 32:19; Ezek 33:20; Matt 16:27; Rom 2:6; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 22:12
- Job 34:12 : Job 34:10
- Job 34:13 : Job 38:4
- Job 34:13 : Job 38:5
- Job 34:14 : Job 12:10; Ps 104:29; Eccl 12:7
- Job 34:15 : Gen 7:21; Job 9:22
- Job 34:15 : Gen 3:19; Job 10:9
- Job 34:17 : 2 Sam 23:3; Job 34:30
- Job 34:17 : Job 40:8
- Job 34:19 : Lev 19:15; Deut 10:17; 2 Chr 19:7; Acts 10:34; Rom 2:11; Gal 2:6; Eph 6:9; Col 3:25; 1 Pet 1:17
- Job 34:19 : Job 10:3
- Job 34:20 : Ex 12:29; Job 34:25; 36:20
- Job 34:20 : Job 12:19
- Job 34:21 : Job 24:23; 31:4; Prov 5:21; 15:3; Jer 16:17
- Job 34:22 : Ps 139:11, 12; Amos 9:2, 3
- Job 34:23 : Job 11:11
- Job 34:24 : Job 12:19
- Job 34:25 : Job 34:11
- Job 34:25 : Job 34:20
- Job 34:26 : Ps 9:5; 11:5
- Job 34:27 : 1 Sam 15:11
- Job 34:27 : Job 21:14
- Job 34:28 : Job 35:9; James 5:4
- Job 34:28 : Ex 22:23; Job 22:27
- Job 34:30 : Job 5:15; 20:5; 34:17; Prov 29:2-12
- Job 34:32 : Job 33:27
- Job 34:33 : Job 41:11
- Job 34:35 : Job 35:16; 38:2
- Job 34:36 : Job 22:15
- Job 34:37 : Job 23:2
- Job 34:37 : Job 27:23