Job 32
New Catholic Bible
The Four Speeches of Elihu[a]
Chapter 32
Elihu’s Indignation Is Aroused.[b] 1 The three men then ceased to argue with Job because in his own eyes he was righteous. 2 Then Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite,[c] of the family of Ram, became very angry. He was furious because Job believed that he was righteous and that God was in error. 3 And he was also angry at Job’s three friends because they had never devised an answer to refute Job and thus had allowed God to appear to be wrong.
4 While Job and his friends had been conversing, Elihu had refrained from addressing Job, since the three companions were older than he. 5 But when Elihu perceived that the three had no answer to offer, he could no longer contain his anger.
Elihu’s First Speech
I Have Many Things To Say.[d] 6 Therefore Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, began to speak.
“I am young in years,
and you are old.
Therefore, I held my tongue
and hesitated to express my opinion to you.
7 I thought, ‘Age ought to speak;
many years will result in conveying wisdom.’
8 “But it is the spirit in a man,
the breath of the Almighty,
that gives him understanding.
9 It is not only the old who are wise;
it is not only the aged who understand what is right.
10 Therefore, I beg you to listen to me
and allow me to declare my opinion.
11 “I have been waiting to hear what you had to say,
and I listened attentively to your arguments
as each one of you chose your words with care.
12 I gave you my close attention,
but there is not one of you who has convicted Job
or refuted his statements.
13 Therefore, do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;
let God confute him, not men!’
14 Job has not addressed his words to me;
therefore, I will not answer him in the way you have done.
15 “These three men are confounded and unable to respond;
words have failed them.
16 Am I then to wait because they do not speak,
but simply stand there, stuck for an answer?
17 I also will now have my say;
it is my turn to express my opinion.
18 For I have many things to say,
and the spirit within me forces me to speak.
19 “I am ready to burst,
like a new wineskin with wine searching for a vent.
20 I must speak so that I may find relief;
I must open my lips and reply.
21 I will show no partiality to anyone,
nor will I use flattering words.
22 For I do not know how to flatter;
if I did, my Maker would soon do away with me.
Footnotes
- Job 32:1 The speeches of Elihu (chs. 32–37), like the composition on wisdom (ch. 28), were probably added to the Book of Job in a second phase of the Book’s history. The final editor was perhaps trying to soften the overly harsh positions put on the lips of Job. He tries to justify the intervention of this unexpected personage by saying that it was necessary to let the older men speak first. This champion of the rights of God adds little new except that he does a better job of situating suffering in the divine plan. When he has concluded his bit of eloquence, he is no longer mentioned.
- Job 32:1 Elihu’s four poetic speeches are introduced by five prose verses written by the author.
- Job 32:2 Buzite: i.e., an inhabitant of the desert region of Buz in north Arabia (see Jer 25:23).
- Job 32:6 Right from the beginning of this lengthy monologue, Elihu opposes his wisdom to that of the ancients. Intelligence does not result from the short views of experience or tradition but from receiving inspiration from God (Wis 1:6; Sir 1:1-10; Isa 28:26; Dan 1:17). He does not hurl false accusations at Job as his friends did but uses Job’s own words to criticize him (see Job 33:9-11; 34:5-6, 9; 35:2-3).
约伯记 32
Revised Chinese Union Version (Simplified Script) Shen Edition
以利户的话(A)
32 于是这三个人因约伯看自己为义就停止，不再回答他。 2 那时布西人兰族巴拉迦的儿子以利户发怒了。他向约伯发怒，因约伯自以为义，不以 神为义。 3 他又向约伯的三个朋友发怒，因为他们想不出回答的话来，仍以约伯为有罪。 4 以利户因为他们比自己年老，就等候要与约伯说话。 5 以利户见这三个人口中无话回答，就发怒。
6 布西人巴拉迦的儿子以利户回答说：
“我年轻，你们年长，
因此我退让，不敢向你们陈述我的意见。
7 我说：‘年长的当先说话；
寿高的当以智慧教导人。’
8 其实，是人里面的灵，
全能者的气使人有聪明。
9 寿高的不都有智慧，
年老的不都明白公平。
10 因此我说：‘你们要听我，
我也要陈述我的意见。’
11 “看哪，我等候你们的话，
侧耳听你们的高见；
直到你们找到要说的言语。
12 我留心听你们，
看哪，你们中间无一人能折服约伯，
回答他的话。
13 你们切不可说：‘我们寻得智慧；
神能胜他[a]，人却不能。’
14 约伯没有用言语与我争辩；
我也不用你们的话回答他。
15 “他们惊惶不再回答，
一言不发。
16 我岂因他们不说话，
因他们站住不再回答，仍旧等候呢？
17 我也要以我的一番话回答，
我也要陈述我的意见。
18 因为我满怀言语，
我里面的灵激动我。
19 看哪，我的肚腹如酒囊没有气孔，
又如新皮袋[b]快要破裂。
20 我要说话，使我舒畅；
我要张开嘴唇回答。
21 我必不看人的情面，
也不奉承人。
22 我不懂得奉承；
不然，造我的主必快快除灭我。”
和合本修訂版經文 © 2006, 2010, 2017 香港聖經公會。蒙允許使用。 Scripture Text of Revised Chinese Union Version © 2006, 2010, 2017 Hong Kong Bible Society. www.hkbs.org.hk/en/ Used by permission.