1 A nd Elihu answereth and saith: --

Then Elihu said,

2 T his hast thou reckoned for judgment: Thou hast said -- `My righteousness more than God's?'

“Do you think this is right? Do you say, ‘I am more right than God’?

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

For you ask, ‘What will You get by it? How will it be better for me than if I had sinned?’

4 I return thee words, and thy friends with thee,

I will answer you, and your friends with you.

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

Look at the heavens and see. See the clouds which are higher than you.

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

If you have sinned, what does that do to God? If you have done many wrongs, what does that do to Him?

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

If you are right and good, what do you give to Him? What does He receive from you?

8 F or a man like thyself thy wickedness, And for a son of man thy righteousness.

Your wrong-doing may hurt another man and your being right and good may help him.

9 B ecause of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.

“People cry out because of their many hard times. They cry for help because of the arm of the powerful.

10 A nd none said, `Where God my maker? Giving songs in the night,

But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,

11 T eaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.'

Who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’

12 T here they cry, and He doth not answer, Because of the pride of evil doers.

There they cry out, but He does not answer because of the pride of sinful men.

13 S urely vanity God doth not hear, And the Mighty doth not behold it.

For sure God will not listen to an empty cry. The All-powerful will not do anything about it.

14 Y ea, though thou sayest thou dost not behold Him, Judgment before Him, and stay for Him.

How much less when you say you do not see Him, that your trial is before Him, and you must wait for Him!

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

And now, because God has not punished in His anger, and does not watch for sin,

16 A nd Job vanity doth open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.

Job opens his mouth with empty talk. He speaks many words without much learning.”