1 T hen Elihu continued and said,

¶ And Elihu added and said,

2 “ Wait for me a little, and I will show you That there is yet more to be said in God’s behalf.

Wait for me a little, and I will teach thee; for I yet speak on God’s behalf.

3 “ I will fetch my knowledge from afar, And I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

I will take my knowledge from afar and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

4 “ For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

For truly my words are not lies; for I share perfect knowledge with thee.

5 “ Behold, God is mighty but does not despise any; He is mighty in strength of understanding.

¶ Behold, God is mighty and does not despise; he is mighty in virtue of heart.

6 “ He does not keep the wicked alive, But gives justice to the afflicted.

He shall not give life to the wicked; but to the poor he shall give their right.

7 “ He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.

He shall not withdraw his eyes from the righteous; but with kings he shall place them on the throne for ever, and they shall be exalted.

8 “ And if they are bound in fetters, And are caught in the cords of affliction,

And if they were bound in fetters and captive in cords of affliction,

9 T hen He declares to them their work And their transgressions, that they have magnified themselves.

then he shall show them their work and that their rebellions prevailed.

10 “ He opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they return from evil.

He opens their ear to instruction and commands that they turn from iniquity.

11 “ If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity And their years in pleasures.

If they hearken and serve him, they shall spend their days in goodness and their years in delight.

12 “ But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword And they will die without knowledge.

But if they do not hearken, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.

13 “ But the godless in heart lay up anger; They do not cry for help when He binds them.

But the hypocrites in heart shall irritate him more; they shall not cry out when he binds them.

14 “ They die in youth, And their life perishes among the cult prostitutes.

Their soul shall die in youth, and their life is among the male pagan cult prostitutes.

15 “ He delivers the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ear in time of oppression.

¶ He shall deliver the poor from his poverty, and in affliction shall open their ears.

16 “ Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress, Instead of it, a broad place with no constraint; And that which was set on your table was full of fatness.

Likewise, he would have removed thee out of the mouth of anguish into a broad place where there is no distress and should have set thy table full of fatness.

17 “ But you were full of judgment on the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.

But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked, against the judgment and the justice that sustain everything.

18 “ Beware that wrath does not entice you to scoffing; And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.

Therefore it is to be feared that he take thee away with a stroke, which cannot be avoided even with a great ransom.

19 “ Will your riches keep you from distress, Or all the forces of your strength?

Will he esteem thy riches? No, not gold, nor all the forces of strength.

20 “ Do not long for the night, When people vanish in their place.

Do not desire the night, when he cuts people off in their place.

21 “ Be careful, do not turn to evil, For you have preferred this to affliction.

Take heed, do not regard iniquity, to choose it rather than poverty.

22 “ Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a teacher like Him?

Behold, God is exalted by his power; what teacher is like him?

23 “ Who has appointed Him His way, And who has said, ‘ You have done wrong’?

Who has prescribed his way unto him? Or who shall say unto him, Thou hast wrought iniquity?

24 “ Remember that you should exalt His work, Of which men have sung.

¶ Remember to magnify his work, which men behold.

25 “ All men have seen it; Man beholds from afar.

Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off.

26 “ Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable.

Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.

27 “ For He draws up the drops of water, They distill rain from the mist,

For he detains the drops of water; when the rain pours down rain out of its vapour,

28 W hich the clouds pour down, They drip upon man abundantly.

which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.

29 “ Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, The thundering of His pavilion?

Shall you understand the spreadings of the clouds or the noise of his tent?

30 “ Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea.

Behold, he spreads his light upon it and covers the roots of the sea.

31 “ For by these He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance.

For by them he judges the peoples; he gives food to the multitude.

32 “ He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the mark.

With the clouds he covers the light and commands them to come against the light.

33 “ Its noise declares His presence; The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.

The one gives news of the other; the one acquires wrath against the one that comes.