Job 34
American Standard Version
34 Moreover Elihu answered and said,
2 Hear my words, ye wise men;
And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
3 For the ear trieth words,
As the palate tasteth food.
4 Let us choose for us that which is right:
Let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job hath said, I am righteous,
And God hath taken away my right:
6 [a]Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar;
[b]My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.
7 What man is like Job,
Who drinketh up scoffing like water,
8 Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walketh with wicked men?
9 For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing
That he should [c]delight himself with God.
10 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:
Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness,
And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11 For the work of a man will he render unto him,
And cause every man to find according to his ways.
12 Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,
Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
13 Who gave him a charge over the earth?
Or who hath [d]disposed the whole world?
14 [e]If he set his heart upon [f]himself,
If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
15 All flesh shall perish together,
And man shall turn again unto dust.
16 [g]If now thou hast understanding, hear this:
Hearken to the voice of my words.
17 Shall even one that hateth justice govern?
And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous and mighty?—
18 [h]Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile,
Or to nobles, Ye are wicked;
19 That respecteth not the persons of princes,
Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor;
For they all are the work of his hands.
20 In a moment they die, [i]even at midnight;
The people are shaken and pass away,
And the mighty are taken away without hand.
21 For his eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And he seeth all his goings.
22 There is no darkness, nor thick gloom,
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 For he needeth not further to consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.
24 He breaketh in pieces mighty men [j]in ways past finding out,
And setteth others in their stead.
25 Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works;
And he overturneth them in the night, so that they are [k]destroyed.
26 He striketh them as wicked men
[l]In the open sight of others;
27 Because they turned aside from following him,
And would not have regard in any of his ways:
28 [m]So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him,
And he heard the cry of the afflicted.
29 When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn?
And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him?
Alike whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man:
30 That the godless man reign not,
That there be none to ensnare the people.
31 For hath any said unto God,
I have borne chastisement, [n]I will not offend any more:
32 That which I see not teach thou me:
If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?
33 Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it?
For thou must choose, and not I:
Therefore speak what thou knowest.
34 Men of understanding will say unto me,
Yea, every wise man that heareth me:
35 Job speaketh without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
36 Would that Job were tried unto the end,
Because of his answering like wicked men.
37 For he addeth rebellion unto his sin;
He clappeth his hands among us,
And multiplieth his words against God.
Footnotes
- Job 34:6 Or, Should I lie against my right?
- Job 34:6 Hebrew Mine arrow.
- Job 34:9 Or, consent with. See Ps. 50:18.
- Job 34:13 Or, laid upon him
- Job 34:14 According to another reading, If he cause his heart to return unto himself.
- Job 34:14 Or, man. Hebrew him.
- Job 34:16 Or, Only understand
- Job 34:18 The Hebrew as pointed reads Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art vile? Or, to nobles, Ye are wicked?
- Job 34:20 Or, and at midnight the people etc.
- Job 34:24 Or, without inquisition
- Job 34:25 Hebrew crushed.
- Job 34:26 Hebrew In the place of beholders.
- Job 34:28 Or, That they might cause . . . And that he might hear
- Job 34:31 Or, though I offend not
Job 34
Lexham English Bible
Elihu Asserts God’s Justice
34 Thus[a] Elihu spoke up[b] and said,
2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
and listen to me, you who know,
3 for the ear tests words,
and the palate tastes food.[c]
4 Let us choose justice for ourselves;
let us determine among ourselves what is good—
5 for Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
but God has taken away my justice.
6 Should I lie concerning my justice?
Though I am without transgression, my wound caused by an arrow is incurable.’
7 What man is like Job,
who drinks scorn like water?
8 And he goes on the road in company with instigators of mischief,
and walks with men of wickedness.
9 Indeed, he says, ‘A man does not profit
when he takes delight in God.’
10 “Therefore, listen to me, people who have sense:[d]
far be it from God that he should commit wickedness[e]
and that Shaddai should do wrong.[f]
11 Indeed, he will repay according to a human being’s deeds,
and according to a man’s way he will let it happen to him.
12 What’s more, God truly does not act wickedly,
and Shaddai does not pervert justice.
13 Who gave him charge over the earth?
Or[g] who laid on him the whole world?
14 If he should set his heart to it,
and he should gather his spirit and his breath to himself,
15 all flesh would perish together,
and humankind would return to dust.
16 “But[h] if you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I say.[i]
17 Shall he who hates justice really govern?
Or will you[j] declare the Righteous One, the Mighty, guilty?—
18 the one who says to a king,
‘You worthless man,’ to noblemen, ‘You wicked man,’
19 who shows no partiality to officials[k]
and who does not take note of the noble more than of the insignificant,[l]
for all of them are the work of his hands?
20 In a moment they die,
and in the middle of the night the people are shaken, and they pass away,
and they take away the mighty effortlessly.[m]
21 “Indeed, his eyes are upon the ways of man,
and he sees all his steps.
22 There is no darkness, and there is no deep shadow
where instigators of mischief might hide themselves.
23 Indeed, he has not yet appointed a time for man
to go to God in the judgment.
24 He shatters the mighty without investigation,
and he sets others in their place.
25 Therefore he knows their works,
and he overturns them in the night
so that[n] they are crushed.
26 He strikes them where the wicked stood,[o]
where there are onlookers,[p]
27 because they have turned aside from him
and have not understood any of his ways,
28 so that they cause the cry of distress from the helpless to come to him,
and he hears the cry of distress from the needy,
29 but he remains quiet, and who can condemn?
And he hides his face, and who can behold him?
Yet[q] he is over a nation and over a person alike,
30 so that godless human beings should not reign,
nor those who ensnare the people.
31 “Indeed, does anyone say to God, ‘I have endured chastisement;
I will not act corruptly again;
32 teach me yourself what I cannot see;[r]
if I have done wrong, I will not repeat it’?
33 According to your judgment,[s] must he repay it because you rejected this?
Indeed, you must choose, and not I, so[t] declare what you know.
34 Those who have sense[u] say to me,
and the wise man hearing me says:
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge,
and his words are without insight.
36 Would that Job were tested up to the end
because his answers are like those from men of mischief,
37 for he adds transgression to his sin;
he claps hands among us,
and he multiplies his words against God.’”
Footnotes
- Job 34:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 34:1 Literally “answered”; see NET
- Job 34:3 Literally “to eat”
- Job 34:10 Literally “men of heart”
- Job 34:10 Literally “from wickedness”
- Job 34:10 Literally “from wrong”
- Job 34:13 Hebrew “And”
- Job 34:16 Hebrew “And”
- Job 34:16 Literally “the voice/sound of my words”
- Job 34:17 Singular
- Job 34:19 Literally “he does not lift the face of officials”
- Job 34:19 Literally “he does not regard the eminent to the face of the poor/insignificant”
- Job 34:20 Literally “not by a hand”
- Job 34:25 Hebrew “and”
- Job 34:26 Literally “among the wicked”
- Job 34:26 Literally “in the place of seers”
- Job 34:29 Hebrew “And”
- Job 34:32 Literally “apart from what I can see”
- Job 34:33 Literally “from with you”
- Job 34:33 Hebrew “And”
- Job 34:34 Literally “Men of heart”
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