1 E lihu spoke further and said,

And Elihu answereth and saith: --

2 D o you think this is your right, or are you saying, My righteousness is more than God’s,

This hast thou reckoned for judgment: Thou hast said -- `My righteousness more than God's?'

3 T hat you ask, What advantage have you? How am I profited more than if I had sinned?

For thou sayest, `What doth it profit Thee! What do I profit from my sin?'

4 I will answer you and your companions with you.

I return thee words, and thy friends with thee,

5 L ook to the heavens and see; and behold the skies which are higher than you.

Behold attentively the heavens -- and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than thou.

6 I f you have sinned, how does that affect God? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what have you done to Him?

If thou hast sinned, what dost thou against Him? And thy transgressions have been multiplied, What dost thou to Him?

7 I f you are righteous, what do you give God? Or what does He receive from your hand?

If thou hast been righteous, What dost thou give to Him? Or what from thy hand doth He receive?

8 Y our wickedness touches and affects a man such as you are, and your righteousness is for yourself, one of the human race.

For a man like thyself thy wickedness, And for a son of man thy righteousness.

9 B ecause of the multitudes of oppressions the people cry out; they cry for help because of the violence of the mighty.

Because of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.

10 B ut no one says, Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs of rejoicing in the night,

And none said, `Where God my maker? Giving songs in the night,

11 W ho teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?

Teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.'

12 c ry out because of the pride of evil men, but He does not answer.

There they cry, and He doth not answer, Because of the pride of evil doers.

13 S urely God will refuse to answer vanity (vain and empty—instead of abiding trust); neither will the Almighty regard it—

Surely vanity God doth not hear, And the Mighty doth not behold it.

14 H ow much less when you say that you do not see Him, that your cause is before Him, and you are waiting for Him!

Yea, though thou sayest thou dost not behold Him, Judgment before Him, and stay for Him.

15 B ut now because God has not punished in His anger and seems to be unaware of the wrong and oppression,

And, now, because there is not, He hath appointed His anger, And He hath not known in great extremity.

16 J ob uselessly opens his mouth and multiplies words without knowledge.

And Job vanity doth open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.