Job 32
New King James Version
Elihu Contradicts Job’s Friends
32 So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was (A)righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the (B)Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he (C)justified himself rather than God. 3 Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
4 Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited [a]to speak to Job. 5 When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.
6 So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said:
“I am (D)young in years, and you are very old;
Therefore I was afraid,
And dared not declare my opinion to you.
7 I said, [b]‘Age should speak,
And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’
8 But there is a spirit in man,
And (E)the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
9 (F)Great[c] men are not always wise,
Nor do the aged always understand justice.
10 “Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me,
I also will declare my opinion.’
11 Indeed I waited for your words,
I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.
12 I paid close attention to you;
And surely not one of you convinced Job,
Or answered his words—
13 (G)Lest you say,
‘We have found wisdom’;
God will vanquish him, not man.
14 Now he has not [d]directed his words against me;
So I will not answer him with your words.
15 “They are dismayed and answer no more;
Words escape them.
16 And I have waited, because they did not speak,
Because they stood still and answered no more.
17 I also will answer my part,
I too will declare my opinion.
18 For I am full of words;
The spirit within me compels me.
19 Indeed my [e]belly is like wine that has no [f]vent;
It is ready to burst like new wineskins.
20 I will speak, that I may find relief;
I must open my lips and answer.
21 Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone;
Nor let me flatter any man.
22 For I do not know how to flatter,
Else my Maker would soon take me (H)away.
Job 32
Lexham English Bible
Elihu Rebukes Job and His Three Friends
32 Then these three men ceased from answering Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 So Elihu the son of Barakel the Buzite, from the clan of Ram, became angry.[a] He became angry[b] at Job because he justified himself rather than God, 3 and he became angry[c] at his three friends because they had not found an answer, and they had declared Job guilty. 4 Thus Elihu had waited for Job to speak[d] because they were older than he.[e] 5 When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, he became angry.[f] 6 Then Elihu the son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up[g] and said,
“I am young,[h] but[i] you[j] are old;
therefore I feared and became afraid of explaining my knowledge to you.[k]
7 I thought,[l] ‘Let days[m] speak,
and let many years teach wisdom.’
8 “Truly, it is a spirit in a human being,
and the breath of Shaddai teaches them.
9 It is not the aged[n] who are wise,
or[o] it is not the elders who understand justice.
10 Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;
let me also declare my knowledge myself.’
11 “Look, I waited for your[p] words;
I listened for your[q] insight,
until you searched out what to say.[r]
12 And I directed my attention to you;[s]
and, look, there is no one for Job who refuted,
answering his words among you.
13 So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;
let God refute him, not a man.’
14 But[t] he did not direct his words[u] to me,
and I will not answer him with your[v] words.
15 “They are dismayed; they no longer answer;
they have nothing to say.[w]
16 And I have waited because they do not speak,
because they stand there and no longer answer.
17 I myself will answer my share also;
I myself will declare my knowledge also,
18 for I am full of words;[x]
the spirit within me[y] urges me.
19 “Look, my internal organs are like unopened wine,
like new wineskins it[z] is ready to burst open.
20 Let me speak that I may find relief;[aa]
let me open my lips, and let me answer.
21 Please let me not show partiality to anyone,[ab]
and let me not show flattery to human beings,
22 for I do not know how to flatter,[ac]
else my Maker would soon[ad] put an end to me.
Footnotes
- Job 32:2 Literally “the nose of Elihu became hot”
- Job 32:2 Literally “His nose became hot”
- Job 32:3 Literally “his nose became hot”
- Job 32:4 Literally “in words”
- Job 32:4 Literally “they were older than he as far as days”
- Job 32:5 Literally “his nose became hot”
- Job 32:6 Literally “answered”; see NET
- Job 32:6 Literally “Young I am as far as days”
- Job 32:6 Or “and”
- Job 32:6 Plural
- Job 32:6 Plural
- Job 32:7 Or “said”
- Job 32:7 Compare the idiom of “as far as days” in vv. 4 and 6
- Job 32:9 Literally “many in days”
- Job 32:9 Hebrew “and”
- Job 32:11 Plural
- Job 32:11 Plural
- Job 32:11 Literally “words,” or “sentences”
- Job 32:12 Plural
- Job 32:14 Hebrew “And”
- Job 32:14 Or “sentences,” or “what he said”
- Job 32:14 Plural
- Job 32:15 Literally “words fail from them,” or “sentences fail from them,” or “what to say fails from them”
- Job 32:18 Or “sentences,” or “what to say”
- Job 32:18 Literally “the spirit of my stomach”
- Job 32:19 Antecedent is “wine”
- Job 32:20 Literally “and let it find relief for me”
- Job 32:21 Literally “Not please I will lift up face of a man”
- Job 32:22 Literally “I will flatter”
- Job 32:22 Literally “like little”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software