Job 32
Legacy Standard Bible
Elihu Answers in Anger
32 Then these three men ceased answering Job because he was (A)righteous in his own eyes. 2 But 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 was proving himself righteous [a](D)before God. 3 And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4 Now Elihu had waited with his words for Job because they were years older than he. 5 Then Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, so his anger burned.
6 So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,
“I am young in years and you are (E)old;
Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you my knowledge.
7 I [b]thought [c](F)age should speak,
And [d]increased years should make wisdom known.
8 But it is a spirit in man,
And the (G)breath of the Almighty gives them (H)understanding.
9 The [e]abundant in years may not be wise,
Nor may (I)elders understand justice.
10 So I [f]say, ‘Listen to me,
I too will tell my knowledge.’
11 “Behold, I waited for your words,
I gave ear to your reasonings,
While you searched out what to say.
12 I even carefully considered you;
And behold, there was no one who reproved Job,
Not one of you who answered his words.
13 Lest you say,
‘(J)We have found wisdom;
God will drive him away, not man.’
14 Now he has not arranged his words against me,
Nor will I respond to him with your words.
15 “They are dismayed; they no longer answer;
Words have moved away from them.
16 Shall I wait, because they do not speak,
Because they stand still and no longer answer?
17 I myself will also answer my share;
I also will tell my knowledge.
18 For I am full of words;
The spirit within my belly presses me.
19 Behold, my belly is like unvented wine, not opened;
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 carry me away.
Job 32
Evangelical Heritage Version
Elihu’s Monologues
32 These three men gave up trying to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
2 So Elihu son of Barakel, the Buzite from the clan of Ram, burned with anger. His anger burned against Job because Job had justified himself rather than God. 3 His anger also burned against his three companions, because they had no answer for Job, but they nevertheless had condemned him.
4 Up to this point, Elihu had held back, and he had not spoken to Job, because the others were older and more experienced than he was.
5 When Elihu saw that the three men had no ready answer, his anger burned. 6 So Elihu son of Barakel, the Buzite, responded. He said:
I am young and inexperienced, and you are aged.
That is why I held back,
and I was afraid to tell you what I know.
7 I thought that experience should speak.
Many years should give a man wisdom.
8 However, it is the spirit[a] in a man
and the breath of the Almighty that give a man understanding.
9 It is not just the important men who are wise.
The elderly are not the only ones who know how to judge cases.
10 That is why I now say, “Listen to me.”
I will declare what I know—yes, I will.
11 Notice that I waited for you to finish your words.
I have listened carefully to your conclusions.
The whole time you were searching for the right words,
12 I paid attention to you.
But look, not one of you showed Job that he was wrong
or came up with an answer for Job.
13 So do not say, “We have found wisdom,
but it is God, not a man, who will have to refute him.”
14 Job has not drawn up his speeches against me,
so I will not respond to him with arguments like yours.
15 Those three are shattered. They no longer respond.
They have run out of words.
16 I have waited patiently,
but since they no longer speak,
and they just stand there and do not answer anymore,
17 I will now respond with my contribution.
I will now declare what I know,
18 for I am full of words.
A wind[b] in my belly is building up pressure.
19 My belly is like unvented wine.
I am like a new wineskin ready to burst.
20 I intend to speak, so that I can find relief for myself.
Let me open my lips and answer.
21 I will certainly not show favoritism to any man.
I will not address any man with flattering titles,
22 because I do not know how to pass out flattering titles.
If I did so, my Maker would quickly carry me away.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.