Job 32-37
Young's Literal Translation
32 And these three men cease from answering Job, for he [is] righteous in his own eyes,
2 and burn doth the anger of Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram; against Job hath his anger burned, because of his justifying himself more than God;
3 and against his three friends hath his anger burned, because that they have not found an answer, and condemn Job.
4 And Elihu hath waited earnestly beside Job with words, for they are older than he in days.
5 And Elihu seeth that there is no answer in the mouth of the three men, and his anger burneth.
6 And Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answereth and saith: -- Young I [am] in days, and ye [are] age Therefore I have feared, And am afraid of shewing you my opinion.
7 I said: Days do speak, And multitude of years teach wisdom.
8 Surely a spirit is in man, And the breath of the Mighty One Doth cause them to understand.
9 The multitude are not wise, Nor do the aged understand judgment.
10 Therefore I have said: Hearken to me, I do shew my opinion -- even I.
11 Lo, I have waited for your words, I give ear unto your reasons, Till ye search out sayings.
12 And unto you I attend, And lo, there is no reasoner for Job, [Or] answerer of his sayings among you.
13 Lest ye say, We have found wisdom, God doth thrust him away, not man.
14 And he hath not set in array words for me, And with your sayings I do not answer him.
15 (They have broken down, They have not answered again, They removed from themselves words.
16 And I have waited, but they do not speak, For they have stood still, They have not answered any more.)
17 I answer, even I -- my share, I shew my opinion -- even I.
18 For I have been full of words, Distressed me hath the spirit of my breast,
19 Lo, my breast [is] as wine not opened, Like new bottles it is broken up.
20 I speak, and there is refreshment to me, I open my lips and answer.
21 Let me not, I pray you, accept the face of any, Nor unto man give flattering titles,
22 For I have not known to give flattering titles, In a little doth my Maker take me away.
33 And yet, I pray thee, O Job, Hear my speech and [to] all my words give ear.
2 Lo, I pray thee, I have opened my mouth, My tongue hath spoken in the palate.
3 Of the uprightness of my heart [are] my sayings, And knowledge have my lips clearly spoken.
4 The Spirit of God hath made me, And the breath of the Mighty doth quicken me.
5 If thou art able -- answer me, Set in array before me -- station thyself.
6 Lo, I [am], according to thy word, for God, From the clay I -- I also, have been formed.
7 Lo, my terror doth not frighten thee, And my burden on thee is not heavy.
8 Surely -- thou hast said in mine ears, And the sounds of words I hear:
9 `Pure [am] I, without transgression, Innocent [am] I, and I have no iniquity.
10 Lo, occasions against me He doth find, He doth reckon me for an enemy to Him,
11 He doth put in the stocks my feet, He doth watch all my paths.'
12 Lo, [in] this thou hast not been righteous, I answer thee, that greater is God than man.
13 Wherefore against Him hast thou striven, When [for] all His matters He answereth not?
14 For once doth God speak, and twice, (He doth not behold it.)
15 In a dream -- a vision of night, In the falling of deep sleep on men, In slumberings on a bed.
16 Then He uncovereth the ear of men, And for their instruction sealeth:
17 To turn aside man [from] doing, And pride from man He concealeth.
18 He keepeth back his soul from corruption, And his life from passing away by a dart.
19 And he hath been reproved With pain on his bed, And the strife of his bones [is] enduring.
20 And his life hath nauseated bread, And his soul desirable food.
21 His flesh is consumed from being seen, And high are his bones, they were not seen!
22 And draw near to the pit doth his soul, And his life to those causing death.
23 If there is by him a messenger, An interpreter -- one of a thousand, To declare for man his uprightness:
24 Then He doth favour him and saith, `Ransom him from going down to the pit, I have found an atonement.'
25 Fresher [is] his flesh than a child's, He returneth to the days of his youth.
26 He maketh supplication unto God, And He accepteth him. And he seeth His face with shouting, And He returneth to man His righteousness.
27 He looketh on men, and saith, `I sinned, And uprightness I have perverted, And it hath not been profitable to me.
28 He hath ransomed my soul From going over into the pit, And my life on the light looketh.'
29 Lo, all these doth God work, Twice -- thrice with man,
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, To be enlightened with the light of the living.
31 Attend, O Job, hearken to me, Keep silent, and I -- I do speak.
32 If there are words -- answer me, Speak, for I have a desire to justify thee.
33 If there are not -- hearken thou to me, Keep silent, and I teach thee wisdom.
34 And Elihu answereth and saith:
2 Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me.
3 For the ear doth try words, And the palate tasteth to eat.
4 Judgment let us choose for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what [is] good.
5 For Job hath said, `I have been righteous, And God hath turned aside my right,
6 Against my right do I lie? Mortal [is] mine arrow -- without transgression.'
7 Who [is] a man like Job? He drinketh scoffing like water,
8 And he hath travelled for company With workers of iniquity, So as to go with men of wickedness.
9 For he hath said, `It doth not profit a man, When he delighteth himself with God.'
10 Therefore, O men of heart, hearken to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And [from] the Mighty to do perverseness:
11 For the work of man he repayeth to him, And according to the path of each He doth cause him to find.
12 Yea, truly, God doth not do wickedly, And the Mighty doth not pervert judgment.
13 Who hath inspected for Himself the earth? And who hath placed all the habitable world?
14 If He doth set on him His heart, His spirit and his breath unto Him He gathereth.
15 Expire doth all flesh together, And man to dust returneth.
16 And if [there is] understanding, hear this, Give ear to the voice of my words.
17 Yea, doth one hating justice govern? Or the Most Just dost thou condemn?
18 Who hath said to a king -- `Worthless,' Unto princes -- `Wicked?'
19 That hath not accepted the person of princes, Nor hath known the rich before the poor, For a work of His hands [are] all of them.
20 [In] a moment they die, and at midnight Shake do people, and they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand.
21 For His eyes [are] on the ways of each, And all his steps He doth see.
22 There is no darkness nor death-shade, For workers of iniquity to be hidden there;
23 For He doth not suffer man any more, To go unto God in judgment,
24 He breaketh the mighty -- no searching! And He appointeth others in their stead.
25 Therefore He knoweth their works, And He hath overturned by night, And they are bruised.
26 As wicked He hath stricken them, In the place of beholders.
27 Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And none of His ways have considered wisely,
28 To cause to come in unto Him The cry of the poor, And the cry of the afflicted He heareth.
29 And He giveth rest, and who maketh wrong? And hideth the face, and who beholdeth it? And in reference to a nation and to a man, [It is] the same.
30 From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;
31 For unto God hath any said: `I have taken away, I do not corruptly,
32 Besides [that which] I see, shew Thou me, If iniquity I have done -- I do not add?'
33 By thee doth He recompense, That thou hast refused -- That thou dost choose, and not I? And what thou hast known, speak.
34 Let men of heart say to me, And a wise man is hearkening to me.
35 Job -- not with knowledge doth he speak, And his words [are] not with wisdom.
36 My Father! let Job be tried -- unto victory, Because of answers for men of iniquity,
37 For he doth add to his sin, Transgression among us he vomiteth, And multiplieth his sayings to God.
35 And Elihu answereth and saith: --
2 This hast thou reckoned for judgment: Thou hast said -- `My righteousness [is] more than God's?'
3 For thou sayest, `What doth it profit Thee! What do I profit from my sin?'
4 I return thee words, and thy friends with thee,
5 Behold attentively the heavens -- and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than thou.
6 If thou hast sinned, what dost thou against Him? And thy transgressions have been multiplied, What dost thou to Him?
7 If thou hast been righteous, What dost thou give to Him? Or what from thy hand doth He receive?
8 For a man like thyself [is] thy wickedness, And for a son of man thy righteousness.
9 Because of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.
10 And none said, `Where [is] God my maker? Giving songs in the night,
11 Teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.'
12 There they cry, and He doth not answer, Because of the pride of evil doers.
13 Surely vanity God doth not hear, And the Mighty doth not behold it.
14 Yea, though thou sayest thou dost not behold Him, Judgment [is] before Him, and stay for Him.
15 And, now, because there is not, He hath appointed His anger, And He hath not known in great extremity.
16 And Job [with] vanity doth open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.
36 And Elihu addeth and saith: --
2 Honour me a little, and I shew thee, That yet for God [are] words.
3 I lift up my knowledge from afar, And to my Maker I ascribe righteousness.
4 For, truly, my words [are] not false, The perfect in knowledge [is] with thee.
5 Lo, God [is] mighty, and despiseth not, Mighty [in] power [and] heart.
6 He reviveth not the wicked, And the judgment of the poor appointeth;
7 He withdraweth not from the righteous His eyes, And [from] kings on the throne, And causeth them to sit for ever, and they are high,
8 And if prisoners in fetters They are captured with cords of affliction,
9 Then He declareth to them their work, And their transgressions, Because they have become mighty,
10 And He uncovereth their ear for instruction, And saith that they turn back from iniquity.
11 If they do hear and serve, They complete their days in good, And their years in pleasantness.
12 And if they do not hearken, By the dart they pass away, And expire without knowledge.
13 And the profane in heart set the face, They cry not when He hath bound them.
14 Their soul dieth in youth, And their life among the defiled.
15 He draweth out the afflicted in his affliction, And uncovereth in oppression their ear.
16 And also He moved thee from a strait place, [To] a broad place -- no straitness under it, And the sitting beyond of thy table Hath been full of fatness.
17 And the judgment of the wicked thou hast fulfilled, Judgment and justice are upheld -- because of fury,
18 Lest He move thee with a stroke, And the abundance of an atonement turn thee not aside.
19 Doth He value thy riches? He hath gold, and all the forces of power.
20 Desire not the night, For the going up of peoples in their stead.
21 Take heed -- do not turn unto iniquity, For on this thou hast fixed Rather than [on] affliction.
22 Lo, God doth sit on high by His power, Who [is] like Him -- a teacher?
23 Who hath appointed unto Him his way? And who said, `Thou hast done iniquity?'
24 Remember that thou magnify His work That men have beheld.
25 All men have looked on it, Man looketh attentively from afar.
26 Lo, God [is] high, And we know not the number of His years, Yea, there [is] no searching.
27 When He doth diminish droppings of the waters, They refine rain according to its vapour,
28 Which clouds do drop, They distil on man abundantly.
29 Yea, doth [any] understand The spreadings out of a cloud? The noises of His tabernacle?
30 Lo, He hath spread over it His light, And the roots of the sea He hath covered,
31 For by them He doth judge peoples, He giveth food in abundance.
32 By two palms He hath covered the light, And layeth a charge over it in meeting,
33 He sheweth by it [to] his friend substance, Anger against perversity.
37 Also, at this my heart trembleth, And it moveth from its place.
2 Hearken diligently to the trembling of His voice, Yea, the sound from His mouth goeth forth.
3 Under the whole heavens He directeth it, And its light [is] over the skirts of the earth.
4 After it roar doth a voice -- He thundereth with the voice of His excellency, And He doth not hold them back, When His voice is heard.
5 God thundereth with His voice wonderfully, Doing great things and we know not.
6 For to snow He saith, `Be [on] the earth.' And the small rain and great rain of His power.
7 Into the hand of every man he sealeth, For the knowledge by all men of His work.
8 And enter doth the beast into covert, And in its habitations it doth continue.
9 From the inner chamber cometh a hurricane, And from scatterings winds -- cold,
10 From the breath of God is frost given, And the breadth of waters is straitened,
11 Yea, by filling He doth press out a cloud, Scatter a cloud doth His light.
12 And it is turning itself round by His counsels, For their doing all He commandeth them, On the face of the habitable earth.
13 Whether for a rod, or for His land, Or for kindness -- He doth cause it to come.
14 Hear this, O Job, Stand and consider the wonders of God.
15 Dost thou know when God doth place them, And caused to shine the light of His cloud?
16 Dost thou know the balancings of a cloud? The wonders of the Perfect in knowledge?
17 How thy garments [are] warm, In the quieting of the earth from the south?
18 Thou hast made an expanse with Him For the clouds -- strong as a hard mirror!
19 Let us know what we say to Him, We set not in array because of darkness.
20 Is it declared to Him that I speak? If a man hath spoken, surely he is swallowed up.
21 And now, they have not seen the light, Bright it [is] in the clouds, And the wind hath passed by and cleanseth them.
22 From the golden north it cometh, Beside God [is] fearful honour.
23 The Mighty! we have not found Him out, High in power and judgment, He doth not answer! And abundant in righteousness,
24 Therefore do men fear Him, He seeth not any of the wise of heart.
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