Job 32-34 (New American Standard Bible)

Job 32

Elihu in Anger Rebukes Job

 ¹Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was ^(A)righteous in his own eyes.

 ²But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the ^(B)Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned ^(C)because he justified himself ^(D)before God.

 ³And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

 ⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.

 ⁵And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.

 ⁶So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said,
         "I am young in years and you are ^(E)old;
         Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.
    ⁷"I thought ^(F)age should speak,
         And increased years should teach wisdom.
    ⁸"But it is a spirit in man,
         And the ^(G)breath of the Almighty gives them ^(H)understanding.
    ⁹"The abundant in years may not be wise,
         Nor may ^(I)elders understand justice.
    ¹⁰"So I say, 'Listen to me,
         I too will tell what I think.'
    ¹¹"Behold, I waited for your words,
         I listened to your reasonings,
         While you pondered what to say.
    ¹²"I even paid close attention to you;
         Indeed, there was no one who refuted Job,
         Not one of you who answered his words.
    ¹³"Do not say,
         '^(J)We have found wisdom;
         God will rout him, not man.'
    ¹⁴"For he has not arranged his words against me,
         Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.
    ¹⁵"They are dismayed, they no longer answer;
         Words have failed them.
    ¹⁶"Shall I wait, because they do not speak,
         Because they stop and no longer answer?
    ¹⁷"I too will answer my share,
         I also will tell my opinion.
    ¹⁸"For I am full of words;
         The spirit within me constrains me.
    ¹⁹"Behold, my belly is like unvented wine,
         Like new wineskins it is about to burst.
    ²⁰"Let me speak that I may get relief;
         Let me open my lips and answer.
    ²¹"Let me now ^(K)be partial to no one,
         Nor flatter any man.
    ²²"For I do not know how to flatter,
         Else my Maker would soon take me away.

Job 33

Elihu Claims to Speak for God

    ¹"However now, Job, please ^(L)hear my speech,
         And listen to all my words.
    ²"Behold now, I open my mouth,
         My tongue in my mouth speaks.
    ³"My words are from the uprightness of my heart,
         And my lips speak ^(M)knowledge sincerely.
    ⁴"The ^(N)Spirit of God has made me,
         And the ^(O)breath of the Almighty gives me life.
    ⁵"^(P)Refute me if you can;
         Array yourselves before me, take your stand.
    ⁶"Behold, I belong to God like you;
         I too have been formed out of the ^(Q)clay.
    ⁷"Behold, ^(R)no fear of me should terrify you,
         Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.
    ⁸"Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
         And I have heard the sound of your words:
    ⁹'I am ^(S)pure, ^(T)without transgression;
         I am innocent and there ^(U)is no guilt in me.
    ¹⁰'Behold, He invents pretexts against me;
         He ^(V)counts me as His enemy.
    ¹¹'He ^(W)puts my feet in the stocks;
         He watches all my paths.'
    ¹²"Behold, let me tell you, ^(X)you are not right in this,
         For God is greater than man.
    ¹³"Why do you ^(Y)complain against Him
         That He does not give an account of all His doings?
    ¹⁴"Indeed ^(Z)God speaks once,
         Or twice, yet no one notices it.
    ¹⁵"In a ^(AA)dream, a vision of the night,
         When sound sleep falls on men,
         While they slumber in their beds,
    ¹⁶Then ^(AB)He opens the ears of men,
         And seals their instruction,
    ¹⁷That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
         And keep man from pride;
    ¹⁸He ^(AC)keeps back his soul from the pit,
         And his life from passing over ^(AD)into Sheol.
    ¹⁹"Man is also chastened with ^(AE)pain on his bed,
         And with unceasing complaint in his bones;
    ²⁰So that his life ^(AF)loathes bread,
         And his soul favorite food.
    ²¹"His ^(AG)flesh wastes away from sight,
         And his ^(AH)bones which were not seen stick out.
    ²²"Then ^(AI)his soul draws near to the pit,
         And his life to those who bring death.
    ²³"If there is an angel as ^(AJ)mediator for him,
         One out of a thousand,
         To remind a man what is right for him,
    ²⁴Then let him be gracious to him, and say,
         'Deliver him from ^(AK)going down to the pit,
         I have found a ^(AL)ransom';
    ²⁵Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
         Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
    ²⁶Then he will ^(AM)pray to God, and He will accept him,
         That ^(AN)he may see His face with joy,
         And He may restore His righteousness to man.
    ²⁷"He will sing to men and say,
         'I ^(AO)have sinned and perverted what is right,
         And it is not ^(AP)proper for me.
    ²⁸'He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
         And my life shall ^(AQ)see the light.'
    ²⁹"Behold, God does ^(AR)all these oftentimes with men,
    ³⁰To ^(AS)bring back his soul from the pit,
         That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
    ³¹"Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
         Keep silent, and let me speak.
    ³²"Then if you have anything to say, answer me;
         Speak, for I desire to justify you.
    ³³"If not, ^(AT)listen to me;
         Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

Job 34

Elihu Vindicates God's Justice

 ¹Then Elihu continued and said,
    ²"Hear my words, you wise men,
         And listen to me, you who know.
    ³"For ^(AU)the ear tests words
         As the palate tastes food.
    ⁴"Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
         Let us know among ourselves what is good.
    ⁵"For Job has said, '^(AV)I am righteous,
         But ^(AW)God has taken away my right;
    ⁶Should I lie concerning my right?
         My ^(AX)wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'
    ⁷"What man is like Job,
         Who ^(AY)drinks up derision like water,
    ⁸Who goes ^(AZ)in company with the workers of iniquity,
         And walks with wicked men?
    ⁹"For he has said, '^(BA)It profits a man nothing
         When he is pleased with God.'
    ¹⁰"Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
         Far be it from God to ^(BB)do wickedness,
         And from the Almighty to do wrong.
    ¹¹"For He pays a man according to ^(BC)his work,
         And makes him find it according to his way.
    ¹²"Surely, ^(BD)God will not act wickedly,
         And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
    ¹³"Who ^(BE)gave Him authority over the earth?
         And who ^(BF)has laid on Him the whole world?
    ¹⁴"If He should determine to do so,
         If He should ^(BG)gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
    ¹⁵All ^(BH)flesh would perish together,
         And man would ^(BI)return to dust.
    ¹⁶"But if you have understanding, hear this;
         Listen to the sound of my words.
    ¹⁷"Shall ^(BJ)one who hates justice rule?
         And ^(BK)will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
    ¹⁸Who says to a king, 'Worthless one,'
         To nobles, 'Wicked ones';
    ¹⁹Who shows no ^(BL)partiality to princes
         Nor regards the rich above the poor,
         For they all are the ^(BM)work of His hands?
    ²⁰"In a moment they die, and ^(BN)at midnight
         People are shaken and pass away,
         And ^(BO)the mighty are taken away without a hand.
    ²¹"For ^(BP)His eyes are upon the ways of a man,
         And He sees all his steps.
    ²²"There is ^(BQ)no darkness or deep shadow
         Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
    ²³"For He does not ^(BR)need to consider a man further,
         That he should go before God in judgment.
    ²⁴"He breaks in pieces ^(BS)mighty men without inquiry,
         And sets others in their place.
    ²⁵"Therefore He ^(BT)knows their works,
         And ^(BU)He overthrows them in the night,
         And they are crushed.
    ²⁶"He ^(BV)strikes them like the wicked
         In a public place,
    ²⁷Because they ^(BW)turned aside from following Him,
         And ^(BX)had no regard for any of His ways;
    ²⁸So that they caused ^(BY)the cry of the poor to come to Him,
         And that He might ^(BZ)hear the cry of the afflicted--
    ²⁹When 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?--
    ³⁰So that ^(CA)godless men would not rule
         Nor be snares of the people.
    ³¹"For has anyone said to God,
         'I have borne chastisement;
         I will not offend anymore;
    ³²Teach me what I do not see;
         If I have ^(CB)done iniquity,
         I will not do it again'?
    ³³"Shall He ^(CC)recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it?
         For you must choose, and not I;
         Therefore declare what you know.
    ³⁴"Men of understanding will say to me,
         And a wise man who hears me,
    ³⁵'Job ^(CD)speaks without knowledge,
         And his words are without wisdom.
    ³⁶'Job ought to be tried to the limit,
         Because he answers ^(CE)like wicked men.
    ³⁷'For he adds ^(CF)rebellion to his sin;
         He ^(CG)claps his hands among us,
         And multiplies his words against God.'"