Job 33:1-18

English Standard Version

Elihu Rebukes Job

33 “But now, hear my speech, O Job,
    and listen to all my words.
²Behold, I ^(A)open my mouth;
    the tongue in my mouth speaks.
³My words declare the uprightness of my heart,
    and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
⁴^(B)The Spirit of God has made me,
    and ^(C)the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
⁵^(D)Answer me, if you can;
    ^(E)set your words in order before me; take your stand.
⁶Behold, I am toward God as you are;
    I too was pinched off from a piece of ^(F)clay.
⁷Behold, no ^(G)fear of me need terrify you;
    my ^(H)pressure will not be heavy upon you.

⁸“Surely you have spoken in my ears,
    and I have heard the sound of your words.
⁹You say, ‘I am ^(I)pure, without ^(J)transgression;
    I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
¹⁰Behold, he finds occasions against me,
    he ^(K)counts me as his enemy,
¹¹he ^(L)puts my feet in the stocks
    and ^(M)watches all my paths.’

¹²“Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
    for God is greater than man.
¹³Why do you ^(N)contend against him,
    saying, ‘He ^(O)will answer none of man's^[a] words’?^[b]
¹⁴For God ^(P)speaks in one way,
    ^(Q)and in two, though man ^(R)does not perceive it.
¹⁵In ^(S)a dream, in ^(T)a vision of ^(U)the night,
    when ^(V)deep sleep falls on men,
    while they slumber on their beds,
¹⁶then he ^(W)opens the ears of men
    and terrifies^[c] them with warnings,
¹⁷that he may turn man aside from his ^(X)deed
    and conceal pride from a man;
¹⁸he keeps back his soul from the pit,
    his life from ^(Y)perishing by the sword.