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Job 34
Names of God Bible
Job 34
Names of God Bible
Elihu Continues: Listen, Everyone
34 Elihu continued to speak to Job and his friends,
2 “Listen to my words, you wise men.
Open your ears to me, you intelligent men.
3 The ear tests words
like the tongue tastes food.
4 Let’s decide for ourselves what is right
and agree among ourselves as to what is good,
5 because Job has said,
‘I’m righteous, but El has taken away my rights.
6 I’m considered a liar in spite of my rights.
I’ve been wounded by a deadly arrow,
though I haven’t been disobedient.’
7 What person is like Job,
who drinks scorn like water,
8 who travels with troublemakers
and associates with evil people?
9 He says, ‘It doesn’t do any good to try to please Elohim.’
10 “You people who have understanding, listen to me.
It is unthinkable that El would ever do evil
or that Shadday would ever do wicked things.
11 God will repay humanity for what it has done
and will give each person what he deserves.
12 Certainly, El will never do anything evil,
and Shadday will never pervert justice.
13 Who put him in charge of the earth?
Who appointed him to be over the whole world?
14 If he thought only of himself
and withdrew his Spirit and his breath,
15 all living beings would die together,
and humanity would return to dust.
God Is Fair
16 “If you understand, listen to this.
Open your ears to my words!
17 Should anyone who hates justice be allowed to govern?
Will you condemn the one who is righteous and mighty?
18 Should anyone even say to a king,
‘You good-for-nothing scoundrel!’
or to nobles, ‘You wicked people!’
19 The one who is righteous and mighty
does not grant special favors to princes
or prefer important people over poor people
because his hands made them all.
20 They die suddenly in the middle of the night.
People have seizures and pass away.
Mighty people are taken away but not by human hands.
21 God’s eyes are on a person’s ways.
He sees all his steps.
22 There’s no darkness or deep shadow
where troublemakers can hide.
23 He doesn’t have to set a time for a person
in order to bring him to divine judgment.
24 He breaks mighty people into pieces without examining them
and puts others in their places.
25 He knows what they do,
so he overthrows them at night, and they’re crushed.
26 In return for their evil, he strikes them in public,
27 because they turned away from following him
and didn’t consider any of his ways.
28 They forced the poor to cry out to him,
and he hears the cry of those who suffer.
29 If he keeps quiet, who can condemn him?
If he hides his face, who can see him
whether it is a nation or a single person?
30 He does this so that godless people cannot rule
and so that they cannot trap people.
31 “But suppose such a person says to El, ‘I am guilty,
I will stop my immoral behavior.
32 Teach me what I cannot see.
If I’ve done wrong, I won’t do it again.’
33 Should El reward you on your own terms since you have rejected his?
You must choose, not I.
Tell me what you know. Speak!
Elihu Makes an Appeal to God
34 “People of understanding, the wise people
who listen to me, will say,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge.
His words show no insight.’
36 “Ab, let Job be thoroughly tested
for giving answers like wicked people do.
37 He adds disobedience to his sin.
He claps his hands to insult us.
He multiplies his words against El.”
Job 34
New International Version
Job 34
New International Version
34 Then Elihu said:
2 “Hear my words, you wise men;
listen to me,(A) you men of learning.
3 For the ear tests words
as the tongue tastes food.(B)
4 Let us discern for ourselves what is right;(C)
let us learn together what is good.(D)
5 “Job says, ‘I am innocent,(E)
but God denies me justice.(F)
6 Although I am right,
I am considered a liar;(G)
although I am guiltless,(H)
his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’(I)
7 Is there anyone like Job,
who drinks scorn like water?(J)
8 He keeps company with evildoers;
he associates with the wicked.(K)
9 For he says, ‘There is no profit
in trying to please God.’(L)
10 “So listen to me,(M) you men of understanding.(N)
Far be it from God to do evil,(O)
from the Almighty to do wrong.(P)
11 He repays everyone for what they have done;(Q)
he brings on them what their conduct deserves.(R)
12 It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,(S)
that the Almighty would pervert justice.(T)
13 Who appointed(U) him over the earth?
Who put him in charge of the whole world?(V)
14 If it were his intention
and he withdrew his spirit[a](W) and breath,(X)
15 all humanity would perish(Y) together
and mankind would return to the dust.(Z)
16 “If you have understanding,(AA) hear this;
listen to what I say.(AB)
17 Can someone who hates justice govern?(AC)
Will you condemn the just and mighty One?(AD)
18 Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’
and to nobles,(AE) ‘You are wicked,’(AF)
19 who shows no partiality(AG) to princes
and does not favor the rich over the poor,(AH)
for they are all the work of his hands?(AI)
20 They die in an instant, in the middle of the night;(AJ)
the people are shaken and they pass away;
the mighty are removed without human hand.(AK)
21 “His eyes are on the ways of mortals;(AL)
he sees their every step.(AM)
22 There is no deep shadow,(AN) no utter darkness,(AO)
where evildoers can hide.(AP)
23 God has no need to examine people further,(AQ)
that they should come before him for judgment.(AR)
24 Without inquiry he shatters(AS) the mighty(AT)
and sets up others in their place.(AU)
25 Because he takes note of their deeds,(AV)
he overthrows them in the night(AW) and they are crushed.(AX)
26 He punishes them for their wickedness(AY)
where everyone can see them,
27 because they turned from following him(AZ)
and had no regard for any of his ways.(BA)
28 They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,
so that he heard the cry of the needy.(BB)
29 But if he remains silent,(BC) who can condemn him?(BD)
If he hides his face,(BE) who can see him?
Yet he is over individual and nation alike,(BF)
30 to keep the godless(BG) from ruling,(BH)
from laying snares for the people.(BI)
31 “Suppose someone says to God,
‘I am guilty(BJ) but will offend no more.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;(BK)
if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’(BL)
33 Should God then reward you on your terms,
when you refuse to repent?(BM)
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what you know.
34 “Men of understanding declare,
wise men who hear me say to me,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;(BN)
his words lack insight.’(BO)
36 Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost
for answering like a wicked man!(BP)
37 To his sin he adds rebellion;
scornfully he claps his hands(BQ) among us
and multiplies his words(BR) against God.”(BS)
Footnotes
- Job 34:14 Or Spirit
Job 34
The Message
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.”
Names of God Bible (NOG)
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson