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Job 34:21-38:41
New Living Translation
Job 34:21-38:41
New Living Translation
21 “For God watches how people live;
he sees everything they do.
22 No darkness is thick enough
to hide the wicked from his eyes.
23 We don’t set the time
when we will come before God in judgment.
24 He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone,
and he sets up others in their place.
25 He knows what they do,
and in the night he overturns and destroys them.
26 He strikes them down because they are wicked,
doing it openly for all to see.
27 For they turned away from following him.
They have no respect for any of his ways.
28 They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention.
He hears the cries of the needy.
29 But if he chooses to remain quiet,
who can criticize him?
When he hides his face, no one can find him,
whether an individual or a nation.
30 He prevents the godless from ruling
so they cannot be a snare to the people.
31 “Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned,
but I will sin no more’?
32 Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done—tell me.
If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?
33 “Must God tailor his justice to your demands?
But you have rejected him!
The choice is yours, not mine.
Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.
34 After all, bright people will tell me,
and wise people will hear me say,
35 ‘Job speaks out of ignorance;
his words lack insight.’
36 Job, you deserve the maximum penalty
for the wicked way you have talked.
37 For you have added rebellion to your sin;
you show no respect,
and you speak many angry words against God.”
Elihu Reminds Job of God’s Justice
35 Then Elihu said:
2 “Do you think it is right for you to claim,
‘I am righteous before God’?
3 For you also ask, ‘What’s in it for me?
What’s the use of living a righteous life?’
4 “I will answer you
and all your friends, too.
5 Look up into the sky,
and see the clouds high above you.
6 If you sin, how does that affect God?
Even if you sin again and again,
what effect will it have on him?
7 If you are good, is this some great gift to him?
What could you possibly give him?
8 No, your sins affect only people like yourself,
and your good deeds also affect only humans.
9 “People cry out when they are oppressed.
They groan beneath the power of the mighty.
10 Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God my Creator,
the one who gives songs in the night?
11 Where is the one who makes us smarter than the animals
and wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12 And when they cry out, God does not answer
because of their pride.
13 But it is wrong to say God doesn’t listen,
to say the Almighty isn’t concerned.
14 You say you can’t see him,
but he will bring justice if you will only wait.[a]
15 You say he does not respond to sinners with anger
and is not greatly concerned about wickedness.[b]
16 But you are talking nonsense, Job.
You have spoken like a fool.”
36 Elihu continued speaking:
2 “Let me go on, and I will show you the truth.
For I have not finished defending God!
3 I will present profound arguments
for the righteousness of my Creator.
4 I am telling you nothing but the truth,
for I am a man of great knowledge.
5 “God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone!
He is mighty in both power and understanding.
6 He does not let the wicked live
but gives justice to the afflicted.
7 He never takes his eyes off the innocent,
but he sets them on thrones with kings
and exalts them forever.
8 If they are bound in chains
and caught up in a web of trouble,
9 he shows them the reason.
He shows them their sins of pride.
10 He gets their attention
and commands that they turn from evil.
11 “If they listen and obey God,
they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives.
All their years will be pleasant.
12 But if they refuse to listen to him,
they will cross over the river of death,
dying from lack of understanding.
13 For the godless are full of resentment.
Even when he punishes them,
they refuse to cry out to him for help.
14 They die when they are young,
after wasting their lives in immoral living.
15 But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer.
For he gets their attention through adversity.
16 “God is leading you away from danger, Job,
to a place free from distress.
He is setting your table with the best food.
17 But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged.
Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.
18 But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth.[c]
Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin.
19 Could all your wealth[d]
or all your mighty efforts
keep you from distress?
20 Do not long for the cover of night,
for that is when people will be destroyed.[e]
21 Be on guard! Turn back from evil,
for God sent this suffering
to keep you from a life of evil.
Elihu Reminds Job of God’s Power
22 “Look, God is all-powerful.
Who is a teacher like him?
23 No one can tell him what to do,
or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’
24 Instead, glorify his mighty works,
singing songs of praise.
25 Everyone has seen these things,
though only from a distance.
26 “Look, God is greater than we can understand.
His years cannot be counted.
27 He draws up the water vapor
and then distills it into rain.
28 The rain pours down from the clouds,
and everyone benefits.
29 Who can understand the spreading of the clouds
and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven?
30 See how he spreads the lightning around him
and how it lights up the depths of the sea.
31 By these mighty acts he nourishes[f] the people,
giving them food in abundance.
32 He fills his hands with lightning bolts
and hurls each at its target.
33 The thunder announces his presence;
the storm announces his indignant anger.[g]
37 “My heart pounds as I think of this.
It trembles within me.
2 Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice
as it rolls from his mouth.
3 It rolls across the heavens,
and his lightning flashes in every direction.
4 Then comes the roaring of the thunder—
the tremendous voice of his majesty.
He does not restrain it when he speaks.
5 God’s voice is glorious in the thunder.
We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power.
6 “He directs the snow to fall on the earth
and tells the rain to pour down.
7 Then everyone stops working
so they can watch his power.
8 The wild animals take cover
and stay inside their dens.
9 The stormy wind comes from its chamber,
and the driving winds bring the cold.
10 God’s breath sends the ice,
freezing wide expanses of water.
11 He loads the clouds with moisture,
and they flash with his lightning.
12 The clouds churn about at his direction.
They do whatever he commands throughout the earth.
13 He makes these things happen either to punish people
or to show his unfailing love.
14 “Pay attention to this, Job.
Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God!
15 Do you know how God controls the storm
and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds?
16 Do you understand how he moves the clouds
with wonderful perfection and skill?
17 When you are sweltering in your clothes
and the south wind dies down and everything is still,
18 he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror.
Can you do that?
19 “So teach the rest of us what to say to God.
We are too ignorant to make our own arguments.
20 Should God be notified that I want to speak?
Can people even speak when they are confused?[h]
21 We cannot look at the sun,
for it shines brightly in the sky
when the wind clears away the clouds.
22 So also, golden splendor comes from the mountain of God.[i]
He is clothed in dazzling splendor.
23 We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty;
but even though he is just and righteous,
he does not destroy us.
24 No wonder people everywhere fear him.
All who are wise show him reverence.[j]”
The Lord Challenges Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorant words?
3 Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
5 Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
6 What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
7 as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels[k] shouted for joy?
8 “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
as it burst from the womb,
9 and as I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it in thick darkness?
10 For I locked it behind barred gates,
limiting its shores.
11 I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
Here your proud waves must stop!’
12 “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear
and caused the dawn to rise in the east?
13 Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,
to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?
14 As the light approaches,
the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;
it is robed in brilliant colors.[l]
15 The light disturbs the wicked
and stops the arm that is raised in violence.
16 “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?
Have you explored their depths?
17 Do you know where the gates of death are located?
Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?
18 Do you realize the extent of the earth?
Tell me about it if you know!
19 “Where does light come from,
and where does darkness go?
20 Can you take each to its home?
Do you know how to get there?
21 But of course you know all this!
For you were born before it was all created,
and you are so very experienced!
22 “Have you visited the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of hail?
23 (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war.)
24 Where is the path to the source of light?
Where is the home of the east wind?
25 “Who created a channel for the torrents of rain?
Who laid out the path for the lightning?
26 Who makes the rain fall on barren land,
in a desert where no one lives?
27 Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground
and make the tender grass spring up?
28 “Does the rain have a father?
Who gives birth to the dew?
29 Who is the mother of the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?
30 For the water turns to ice as hard as rock,
and the surface of the water freezes.
31 “Can you direct the movement of the stars—
binding the cluster of the Pleiades
or loosening the cords of Orion?
32 Can you direct the constellations through the seasons
or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?
33 Do you know the laws of the universe?
Can you use them to regulate the earth?
34 “Can you shout to the clouds
and make it rain?
35 Can you make lightning appear
and cause it to strike as you direct?
36 Who gives intuition to the heart
and instinct to the mind?
37 Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?
Who can tilt the water jars of heaven
38 when the parched ground is dry
and the soil has hardened into clods?
39 “Can you stalk prey for a lioness
and satisfy the young lions’ appetites
40 as they lie in their dens
or crouch in the thicket?
41 Who provides food for the ravens
when their young cry out to God
and wander about in hunger?
Footnotes
- 35:13-14 These verses can also be translated as follows: 13 Indeed, God doesn’t listen to their empty plea; / the Almighty is not concerned. / 14 How much less will he listen when you say you don’t see him, / and that your case is before him and you’re waiting for justice.
- 35:15 As in Greek and Latin versions; the meaning of this Hebrew word is uncertain.
- 36:18 Or But don’t let your anger lead you to mockery.
- 36:19 Or Could all your cries for help.
- 36:16-20 The meaning of the Hebrew in this passage is uncertain.
- 36:31 Or he governs.
- 36:33 Or even the cattle know when a storm is coming. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 37:20 Or speak without being swallowed up?
- 37:22 Or from the north; or from the abode.
- 37:24 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads He is not impressed by the wise.
- 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God.
- 38:14 Or its features stand out like folds in a robe.
Job 34:21-38:41
New International Version
Job 34:21-38:41
New International Version
21 “His eyes are on the ways of mortals;(A)
he sees their every step.(B)
22 There is no deep shadow,(C) no utter darkness,(D)
where evildoers can hide.(E)
23 God has no need to examine people further,(F)
that they should come before him for judgment.(G)
24 Without inquiry he shatters(H) the mighty(I)
and sets up others in their place.(J)
25 Because he takes note of their deeds,(K)
he overthrows them in the night(L) and they are crushed.(M)
26 He punishes them for their wickedness(N)
where everyone can see them,
27 because they turned from following him(O)
and had no regard for any of his ways.(P)
28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,
so that he heard the cry of the needy.(Q)
29 But if he remains silent,(R) who can condemn him?(S)
If he hides his face,(T) who can see him?
Yet he is over individual and nation alike,(U)
30 to keep the godless(V) from ruling,(W)
from laying snares for the people.(X)
31 “Suppose someone says to God,
‘I am guilty(Y) but will offend no more.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;(Z)
if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’(AA)
33 Should God then reward you on your terms,
when you refuse to repent?(AB)
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what you know.
34 “Men of understanding declare,
wise men who hear me say to me,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;(AC)
his words lack insight.’(AD)
36 Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost
for answering like a wicked man!(AE)
37 To his sin he adds rebellion;
scornfully he claps his hands(AF) among us
and multiplies his words(AG) against God.”(AH)
35 Then Elihu said:
2 “Do you think this is just?
You say, ‘I am in the right,(AI) not God.’(AJ)
3 Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me,[a]
and what do I gain by not sinning?’(AK)
4 “I would like to reply to you
and to your friends with you.
5 Look up at the heavens(AL) and see;
gaze at the clouds so high above you.(AM)
6 If you sin, how does that affect him?
If your sins are many, what does that do to him?(AN)
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him,(AO)
or what does he receive(AP) from your hand?(AQ)
8 Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,(AR)
and your righteousness only other people.(AS)
9 “People cry out(AT) under a load of oppression;(AU)
they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.(AV)
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,(AW)
who gives songs(AX) in the night,(AY)
11 who teaches(AZ) us(BA) more than he teaches[b] the beasts of the earth
and makes us wiser than[c] the birds in the sky?’
12 He does not answer(BB) when people cry out
because of the arrogance(BC) of the wicked.(BD)
13 Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;
the Almighty pays no attention to it.(BE)
14 How much less, then, will he listen
when you say that you do not see him,(BF)
that your case(BG) is before him
and you must wait for him,(BH)
15 and further, that his anger never punishes(BI)
and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.[d](BJ)
16 So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;(BK)
without knowledge he multiplies words.”(BL)
36 Elihu continued:
2 “Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.
3 I get my knowledge from afar;(BM)
I will ascribe justice to my Maker.(BN)
4 Be assured that my words are not false;(BO)
one who has perfect knowledge(BP) is with you.(BQ)
5 “God is mighty,(BR) but despises no one;(BS)
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.(BT)
6 He does not keep the wicked alive(BU)
but gives the afflicted their rights.(BV)
7 He does not take his eyes off the righteous;(BW)
he enthrones them with kings(BX)
and exalts them forever.(BY)
8 But if people are bound in chains,(BZ)
held fast by cords of affliction,(CA)
9 he tells them what they have done—
that they have sinned arrogantly.(CB)
10 He makes them listen(CC) to correction(CD)
and commands them to repent of their evil.(CE)
11 If they obey and serve him,(CF)
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity(CG)
and their years in contentment.(CH)
12 But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the sword[e](CI)
and die without knowledge.(CJ)
13 “The godless in heart(CK) harbor resentment;(CL)
even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.(CM)
14 They die in their youth,(CN)
among male prostitutes of the shrines.(CO)
15 But those who suffer(CP) he delivers in their suffering;(CQ)
he speaks(CR) to them in their affliction.(CS)
16 “He is wooing(CT) you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place(CU) free from restriction,(CV)
to the comfort of your table(CW) laden with choice food.(CX)
17 But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;(CY)
judgment and justice have taken hold of you.(CZ)
18 Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
do not let a large bribe(DA) turn you aside.(DB)
19 Would your wealth(DC) or even all your mighty efforts
sustain you so you would not be in distress?
20 Do not long for the night,(DD)
to drag people away from their homes.[f]
21 Beware of turning to evil,(DE)
which you seem to prefer to affliction.(DF)
22 “God is exalted in his power.(DG)
Who is a teacher like him?(DH)
23 Who has prescribed his ways(DI) for him,(DJ)
or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?(DK)
24 Remember to extol his work,(DL)
which people have praised in song.(DM)
25 All humanity has seen it;(DN)
mortals gaze on it from afar.
26 How great is God—beyond our understanding!(DO)
The number of his years is past finding out.(DP)
27 “He draws up the drops of water,(DQ)
which distill as rain to the streams[g];(DR)
28 the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers(DS) fall on mankind.(DT)
29 Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
how he thunders(DU) from his pavilion?(DV)
30 See how he scatters his lightning(DW) about him,
bathing the depths of the sea.(DX)
31 This is the way he governs[h] the nations(DY)
and provides food(DZ) in abundance.(EA)
32 He fills his hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.(EB)
33 His thunder announces the coming storm;(EC)
even the cattle make known its approach.[i](ED)
37 “At this my heart pounds(EE)
and leaps from its place.
2 Listen!(EF) Listen to the roar of his voice,(EG)
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.(EH)
3 He unleashes his lightning(EI) beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.(EJ)
4 After that comes the sound of his roar;
he thunders(EK) with his majestic voice.(EL)
When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.
5 God’s voice thunders(EM) in marvelous ways;(EN)
he does great things beyond our understanding.(EO)
6 He says to the snow,(EP) ‘Fall on the earth,’
and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’(EQ)
7 So that everyone he has made may know his work,(ER)
he stops all people from their labor.[j](ES)
8 The animals take cover;(ET)
they remain in their dens.(EU)
9 The tempest comes out from its chamber,(EV)
the cold from the driving winds.(EW)
10 The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.(EX)
11 He loads the clouds with moisture;(EY)
he scatters his lightning(EZ) through them.(FA)
12 At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.(FB)
13 He brings the clouds to punish people,(FC)
or to water his earth and show his love.(FD)
14 “Listen(FE) to this, Job;
stop and consider God’s wonders.(FF)
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning(FG) flash?(FH)
16 Do you know how the clouds hang poised,(FI)
those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?(FJ)
17 You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,(FK)
18 can you join him in spreading out the skies,(FL)
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?(FM)
19 “Tell us what we should say to him;(FN)
we cannot draw up our case(FO) because of our darkness.(FP)
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
21 Now no one can look at the sun,(FQ)
bright as it is in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.
22 Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;(FR)
God comes in awesome majesty.(FS)
23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;(FT)
in his justice(FU) and great righteousness, he does not oppress.(FV)
24 Therefore, people revere him,(FW)
for does he not have regard for all the wise(FX) in heart?[k]”
The Lord Speaks
38 Then the Lord spoke to Job(FY) out of the storm.(FZ) He said:
2 “Who is this that obscures my plans(GA)
with words without knowledge?(GB)
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.(GC)
4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?(GD)
Tell me, if you understand.(GE)
5 Who marked off its dimensions?(GF) Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line(GG) across it?
6 On what were its footings set,(GH)
or who laid its cornerstone(GI)—
7 while the morning stars(GJ) sang together(GK)
and all the angels[l](GL) shouted for joy?(GM)
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors(GN)
when it burst forth from the womb,(GO)
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,(GP)
10 when I fixed limits for it(GQ)
and set its doors and bars in place,(GR)
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;(GS)
here is where your proud waves halt’?(GT)
12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,(GU)
or shown the dawn its place,(GV)
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked(GW) out of it?(GX)
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;(GY)
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,(GZ)
and their upraised arm is broken.(HA)
16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?(HB)
17 Have the gates of death(HC) been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?(HD)
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?(HE)
Tell me, if you know all this.(HF)
19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?(HG)
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths(HH) to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!(HI)
You have lived so many years!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow(HJ)
or seen the storehouses(HK) of the hail,(HL)
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,(HM)
for days of war and battle?(HN)
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,(HO)
or the place where the east winds(HP) are scattered over the earth?(HQ)
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,(HR)
26 to water(HS) a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,(HT)
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?(HU)
28 Does the rain have a father?(HV)
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens(HW)
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?(HX)
31 “Can you bind the chains[m] of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?(HY)
32 Can you bring forth the constellations(HZ) in their seasons[n]
or lead out the Bear[o] with its cubs?(IA)
33 Do you know the laws(IB) of the heavens?(IC)
Can you set up God’s[p] dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?(ID)
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?(IE)
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[q](IF)
or gives the rooster understanding?[r](IG)
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars(IH) of the heavens(II)
38 when the dust becomes hard(IJ)
and the clods of earth stick together?(IK)
Footnotes
- Job 35:3 Or you
- Job 35:11 Or night, / 11 who teaches us by
- Job 35:11 Or us wise by
- Job 35:15 Symmachus, Theodotion and Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Job 36:12 Or will cross the river
- Job 36:20 The meaning of the Hebrew for verses 18-20 is uncertain.
- Job 36:27 Or distill from the mist as rain
- Job 36:31 Or nourishes
- Job 36:33 Or announces his coming— / the One zealous against evil
- Job 37:7 Or work, / he fills all people with fear by his power
- Job 37:24 Or for he does not have regard for any who think they are wise.
- Job 38:7 Hebrew the sons of God
- Job 38:31 Septuagint; Hebrew beauty
- Job 38:32 Or the morning star in its season
- Job 38:32 Or out Leo
- Job 38:33 Or their
- Job 38:36 That is, wisdom about the flooding of the Nile
- Job 38:36 That is, understanding of when to crow; the meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.