Job 33
Lexham English Bible
Elihu Rebukes Job
33 “But now, please hear my speeches,[a] Job,
and hear[b] all my words.
2 Please look, I open my mouth;
my tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 My words declare my heart’s uprightness,
and my lips sincerely speak what my lips know.[c]
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of Shaddai gives life to me.
5 “If you are able, answer me.
Present your argument before me;[d] take your stand.
6 Look, before God I am like you;[e]
I myself was also formed from clay.
7 Look, dread of me should not terrify you,
and my hand will not be heavy upon you.
8 “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
and I have heard the sound of your words:[f]
9 ‘I am clean, without transgression;
I am pure, and there is no guilt in me.
10 Look, he finds fault against me;
he reckons me as his enemy;
11 he puts my feet in the block;
he watches all my paths.’
12 “Look, in this you are not right—I will answer you:
Indeed, God is greater than a human being.
13 Why do you contend against him,
that he will not answer all a person’s words?
14 Indeed, God speaks in one way,
even[g] in two,[h] yet someone does not perceive it.
15 “In a dream, a vision of the night,
when a deep sleep falls on men slumbering on their bed,
16 then he opens the ear of men,
and he frightens them with a warning[i]
17 to turn human beings aside from their deeds,
and he keeps man from pride.
18 He spares his life from the pit
and his life from passing over the river of death.
19 “And he is reproved with pain on his bed,
even[j] with the strife of his bones continually,
20 so that[k] his life loathes bread,
and his inner self[l] loathes appetizing food.[m]
21 His flesh is wasted away from sight,
and his bones, which are invisible, are bared.
22 And he[n] draws near to the pit
and his life to the killers.
23 “If there is a messenger beside him, a mediator, one of a thousand,[o]
to declare to a human being his uprightness
24 so that[p] he is gracious to him, and he says,
‘Deliver him from descending into the pit;
I have found a ransom.’
25 His flesh is renewed with his youth;
he returns to the days of his youthful strength.
26 He prays to God, then he accepts him,
and he sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he repays to the human being his righteousness.
27 “He will sing to men, and he will say,
‘I have sinned and have perverted what is right,
and it was not paid back to me.
28 He redeemed my life from going down into the pit,
so[q] I will enjoy the light.’[r]
29 Look, God does all these things
twice, three times[s] with a person
30 to bring his life back from the pit
so that he may enjoy the light of life.[t]
31 “Listen attentively, Job; listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say,[u] answer me;[v]
speak, for I desire to justify you.[w]
33 If not, you listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Footnotes
- Job 33:1 Or “my sentences,” or “what I have to say”
- Job 33:1 Or “give ear to”
- Job 33:3 Literally “the knowledge of my lips”
- Job 33:5 Literally “to the face of me”
- Job 33:6 Literally “I am like your mouth”
- Job 33:8 Or “sentences,” or “what you say”
- Job 33:14 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:14 Or “time and again” (NJPS, HCSB)
- Job 33:16 Literally “with their warning he frightens”
- Job 33:19 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:20 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:20 Or “soul”
- Job 33:20 Literally “food of desire”
- Job 33:22 Literally “his inner self/soul”
- Job 33:23 That is, “unique,” or “one of a kind”
- Job 33:24 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:28 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:28 Literally “my life in the light will see”
- Job 33:29 Or “time and again,” or “oftentimes” (NASB, NASU), or “several times”
- Job 33:30 Literally “to be lighted with the light of the life”
- Job 33:32 Literally “If there are words,” or “If there are sentences”
- Job 33:32 Literally “return to me”
- Job 33:32 Literally “your righteousness”
Job 33
Complete Jewish Bible
33 “So, Iyov, please, hear my speech;
listen to all my words.
2 Look, I am opening my mouth;
the words are on the tip of my tongue.
3 I will say exactly what is on my mind;
what my lips know, they will speak sincerely.
4 It is the Spirit of God that made me,
the breath of Shaddai that gives me life.
5 So refute me, if you can;
organize your words, take your stand!
6 Look, before God I’m the same as you;
I too am fashioned from clay.
7 You don’t need to be afraid of me;
my pressure on you will not be heavy.
8 “You spoke within my hearing,
and I heard what you said —
9 ‘I am clean, without transgression;
I am innocent, not guilty.
10 Yet [God] finds pretexts for accusing me;
he regards me as his enemy.
11 He puts my feet in the stocks
and watches wherever I go.’
12 “But in this, you are wrong; I will answer you:
God is greater than any mortal.
13 Why do you strive against him?
He will not defend his words —
14 God speaks once, even twice,
and still the hearer misses the point.
15 “In a dream, in a vision at night,
when slumber falls upon people,
as they sleep in their beds,
16 he opens people’s ears
and seals the matter with a warning,
17 to turn a person away from his action
and protect a man from pride,
18 so that he will keep himself away from the pit
and from perishing by the sword.
19 “He is also warned by pain when in bed,
when all his bones are hurting;
20 so that he detests bread
as well as richer food.
21 His flesh wastes away, till one can’t stand to look;
his bones protrude and become unsightly.
22 His soul comes close to the pit
and his life to those who bring death.
23 “If there is for him an angel,
a mediator, one among a thousand,
who can vouch for the man’s uprightness;
24 then [God] is gracious to him and says,
‘Redeem him from going down to the pit;
I have found a ransom.’
25 His flesh becomes fresher than that of a child,
he returns to the days of his youth.
26 He prays to God and is accepted by him,
so that he sees [God’s] face with joy,
and [God] repays the man for his righteousness.
27 He declares before everyone, ‘I sinned;
I perverted what was right,
and it gained me nothing.
28 [God] redeemed me from going into the pit,
and now my life sees light.’
29 God will accomplish all these things
twice, even three times, with a man,
30 to bring him back from the pit,
so that he can enjoy the light of the living.
31 “Pay attention, Iyov, listen to me;
keep quiet, and I will keep speaking.
32 If you have something to say, answer me;
speak, because I want to show that you are right.
33 If not, then listen to me;
keep quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.”
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