Job 34
The Message
Elihu’s Second Speech
It’s Impossible for God to Do Evil
34 1-4 Elihu continued:
“So, my fine friends—listen to me,
and see what you think of this.
Isn’t it just common sense—
as common as the sense of taste—
To put our heads together
and figure out what’s going on here?
5-9 “We’ve all heard Job say, ‘I’m in the right,
but God won’t give me a fair trial.
When I defend myself, I’m called a liar to my face.
I’ve done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.’
Have you ever heard anything to beat this?
Does nothing faze this man Job?
Do you think he’s spent too much time in bad company,
hanging out with the wrong crowd,
So that now he’s parroting their line:
‘It doesn’t pay to try to please God’?
10-15 “You’re veterans in dealing with these matters;
certainly we’re of one mind on this.
It’s impossible for God to do anything evil;
no way can the Mighty One do wrong.
He makes us pay for exactly what we’ve done—no more, no less.
Our chickens always come home to roost.
It’s impossible for God to do anything wicked,
for the Mighty One to subvert justice.
He’s the one who runs the earth!
He cradles the whole world in his hand!
If he decided to hold his breath,
every man, woman, and child would die for lack of air.
God Is Working Behind the Scenes
16-20 “So, Job, use your head;
this is all pretty obvious.
Can someone who hates order, keep order?
Do you dare condemn the righteous, mighty God?
Doesn’t God always tell it like it is,
exposing corrupt rulers as scoundrels and criminals?
Does he play favorites with the rich and famous and slight the poor?
Isn’t he equally responsible to everybody?
Don’t people who deserve it die without notice?
Don’t wicked rulers tumble to their doom?
When the so-called great ones are wiped out,
we know God is working behind the scenes.
21-28 “He has his eyes on every man and woman.
He doesn’t miss a trick.
There is no night dark enough, no shadow deep enough,
to hide those who do evil.
God doesn’t need to gather any more evidence;
their sin is an open-and-shut case.
He deposes the so-called high and mighty without asking questions,
and replaces them at once with others.
Nobody gets by with anything; overnight,
judgment is signed, sealed, and delivered.
He punishes the wicked for their wickedness
out in the open where everyone can see it,
Because they quit following him,
no longer even thought about him or his ways.
Their apostasy was announced by the cry of the poor;
the cry of the afflicted got God’s attention.
Because You Refuse to Live on God’s Terms
29-30 “If God is silent, what’s that to you?
If he turns his face away, what can you do about it?
But whether silent or hidden, he’s there, ruling,
so that those who hate God won’t take over
and ruin people’s lives.
31-33 “So why don’t you simply confess to God?
Say, ‘I sinned, but I’ll sin no more.
Teach me to see what I still don’t see.
Whatever evil I’ve done, I’ll do it no more.’
Just because you refuse to live on God’s terms,
do you think he should start living on yours?
You choose. I can’t do it for you.
Tell me what you decide.
34-37 “All right-thinking people say—
and the wise who have listened to me concur—
‘Job is an ignoramus.
He talks utter nonsense.’
Job, you need to be pushed to the wall and called to account
for wickedly talking back to God the way you have.
You’ve compounded your original sin
by rebelling against God’s discipline,
Defiantly shaking your fist at God,
piling up indictments against the Almighty One.”
Job 34
Ang Salita ng Dios (Tagalog Contemporary Bible)
34 Sinabi pa ni Elihu,
2 “Kayong mga nagsasabing marurunong at maraming nalalaman, pakinggan ninyo akong mabuti. 3 Sapagkat kung papaanong alam ng dila ang masarap at hindi masarap na pagkain, alam din ng tainga kung ano ang tama at hindi tamang mga salita. 4 Kaya alamin natin kung ano ang tama, pag-aralan natin kung ano ang mabuti. 5 Sapagkat sinabi ni Job, ‘Wala akong kasalanan pero hindi ako binigyan ng Dios ng katarungan. 6 Kahit na matuwid ako, itinuring akong sinungaling. Kahit na wala akong nagawang kasalanan, binigyan niya ako ng karamdamang walang kagalingan.’
7 “Walang taong katulad ni Job na uhaw sa pangungutya. 8 Ang gusto niyang makasama ay masasama at makasalanang tao, 9 dahil sinabi niya, ‘Walang pakinabang ang tao kung magsisikap siyang bigyan kasiyahan ang Dios!’
10 “Kaya makinig kayo sa akin, kayong mga nagsasabing kayo ay nakakaunawa. Ang Makapangyarihang Dios ay hindi gumagawa ng masama. 11 Ginagantimpalaan niya ang tao ayon sa kanyang mga ginawa; pinakikitunguhan niya ito ayon sa nararapat sa kanyang ugali. 12 Nakatitiyak akong hindi maaaring gumawa ang Makapangyarihang Dios ng masama. Hindi niya maaaring baluktutin ang hustisya. 13 May nagtalaga ba sa kanya para pamunuan ang mundo? May nagbilin ba sa kanya ng mundo? Wala! 14 Kung loloobin ng Dios na kunin ang buhay na ibinigay niya sa tao, 15 lahat ng taoʼy mamamatay at babalik sa lupa.
16 “Job, kung may pang-unawa ka, pakinggan mo ang sasabihin ko: 17 Makakapamuno kaya ang Dios kung ayaw niya ng katarungan? Bakit mo hinahatulan ang matuwid at makapangyarihang Dios? 18 Hindi baʼt siya ang sumasaway sa mga hari at pinunong masama at walang kwenta? 19 Wala siyang itinatangi sa mga pinuno at wala rin siyang pinapanigan, mayaman man o mahirap, dahil silang lahat ay pare-pareho niyang nilikha. 20 Kahit ang taong makapangyarihan ay biglang mamamatay sa gabi nang hindi ginagalaw ng tao.
21 “Binabantayan ng Dios ang lahat ng ginagawa ng tao. 22 Walang madilim na lugar na maaaring pagtaguan ng masama. 23 Hindi na kailangang tawagin pa ng Dios ang tao upang humarap sa kanya para tanungin at hatulan. 24 Hindi na niya kailangang imbestigahan pa ang taong namumuno para alisin ito sa katungkulan at palitan ng iba. 25 Sapagkat alam niya ang kanilang ginagawa, inaalis niya sila sa kapangyarihan at nililipol kahit gabi. 26 Hayagan niya silang pinaparusahan dahil sa kanilang kasamaan. 27 Ginawa niya ito dahil tumigil sila ng pagsunod sa kanya, at binalewala ang kanyang pamamaraan. 28 Inaapi nila ang mga dukha, at narinig ng Dios ang paghingi ng mga ito ng tulong. 29 Pero kahit na tumahimik ang Dios at magtago, walang sinuman ang makapagsasabing mali siya. Ang totoo, binabantayan ng Dios ang tao at mga bansa, 30 para patigilin ang pamumuno ng mga hindi makadios, na siyang bitag na pipinsala sa mga tao.
31 “Job, bakit ayaw mong lumapit sa Dios at sabihin sa kanya, ‘Nagkasala po ako, pero hindi na ako magkakasala pa!’ 32 o, ‘Sabihin nʼyo sa akin ang kasalanan ko. Kung nagkasala ako, hindi ko na ito muling gagawin.’ 33 Papaano sasagutin ng Dios ang kahilingan mo kung hindi ka magsisisi? Ikaw ang magpapasya nito at hindi ako. Kaya sabihin mo sa akin kung ano ang pasya mo.
34 “Ang mga taong marunong at may pang-unawa, na nakikinig sa akin, 35 ay makapagsasabing ang mga sinasabi mo Job ay kamangmangan at walang kabuluhan. 36 Dapat ka ngang lubusang subukin dahil nagsasalita kang gaya ng masamang tao. 37 Dinadagdagan mo pa ang kasalanan mo dahil sa paghihimagsik mo sa Dios. Minamasama moʼt kinukutya ang Dios sa harap namin.”
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Ang Salita ng Dios (Tagalog Contemporary Bible) Copyright © 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015 by Biblica, Inc. ®