1 T hen Elihu continued and said,
¶ Furthermore, Elihu answered and said,
2 “ Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who know.
Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
3 “ For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food.
For the ear tries words, as the mouth tastes food.
4 “ Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good.
Let us choose our judgment; let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 “ For Job has said, ‘ I am righteous, But God has taken away my right;
For Job has said, I am righteous; and God has taken away my right.
6 S hould I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’
In my judgment he was a liar, my arrow wound is grievous without my having committed a transgression.
7 “ What man is like Job, Who drinks up derision like water,
What man is like Job, who drinks up the scorn like water?
8 W ho goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men?
Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men.
9 “ For he has said, ‘ It profits a man nothing When he is pleased with God.’
For he said, It shall profit a man nothing that he should conform his will with God.
10 “ Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong.
¶ Therefore, hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11 “ For He pays a man according to his work, And makes him find it according to his way.
For he shall pay man according to his work and cause every man to find according to his ways.
12 “ Surely, God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.
13 “ Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?
Who visited the earth for him? And who set the whole world in order?
14 “ If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
If he were to set his heart upon man and gather unto himself his spirit and his breath,
15 A ll flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.
all flesh would perish together, and man would turn again unto dust.
16 “ But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words.
¶ If now thou hast understanding, hear this: hearken to the voice of my words.
17 “ Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
Shall even he that hates judgment govern? And wilt thou condemn the Mighty One that is righteous?
18 W ho says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’;
Is it fit to say to the king, Thou art of Belial and to the princes, Ye are ungodly?
19 W ho shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands?
How much less to him who is not a respecter of the persons of princes, nor respects the rich more than the poor; for they all are the work of his hands.
20 “ In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without a hand.
In a moment they shall die, and the peoples shall be troubled at midnight and shall pass away; and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.
21 “ For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps.
For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he sees all his steps.
22 “ There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
There is no darkness nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 “ For He does not need to consider a man further, That he should go before God in judgment.
For he will not lay upon man more than that which is just; that he should enter into judgment with God.
24 “ He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place.
He shall break in pieces mighty men without number and set others in their stead.
25 “ Therefore He knows their works, And He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.
Therefore, he shall cause their works to be notorious, when he shall overturn them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
26 “ He strikes them like the wicked In a public place,
He shall strike them as wicked men in the open sight of others
27 B ecause they turned aside from following Him, And had no regard for any of His ways;
because thus they turned back from him and would not consider any of his ways
28 S o that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He might hear the cry of the afflicted—
so that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he hears the cry of the afflicted.
29 W hen He keeps quiet, who then can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him, That is, in regard to both nation and man?—
When he gives rest, who then can make trouble? If he hides his face, who then can behold him? This applies to a nation and the same to a man,
30 S o that godless men would not rule Nor be snares of the people.
that the hypocrite not reign, lest the people be ensnared.
31 “ For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastisement; I will not offend anymore;
¶ For it is of God to say, I have forgiven, I will no longer destroy.
32 T each me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will not do it again’?
Teach me that which I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more.
33 “ Shall He recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it ? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know.
Will he, perchance finish his work by thee; whether thou refuse or whether thou choose, or by me? Speak what thou knowest.
34 “ Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,
The men of understanding will say as I say, and the wise man will hearken unto me.
35 ‘ Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom.
Job has spoken without knowledge, and his words were without prudence.
36 ‘ Job ought to be tried to the limit, Because he answers like wicked men.
My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end, that there may be answers against wicked men.
37 ‘ For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.’”
For he added rebellion unto his sin, he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.