Job 32
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Elihu’s Angry Response
32 So these three men quit answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.(A) 2 Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite(B) from the family of Ram became angry. He was angry at Job because he had justified(C) himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry at Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute him and yet had condemned him.[a]
4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were all older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he became angry.
6 So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite replied:
I am young in years,
while you are old;
therefore I was timid and afraid
to tell(D) you what I know.
7 I thought that age should speak
and maturity should teach wisdom.
8 But it is a spirit in man[b]
and the breath(E) of the Almighty
that give him understanding.
9 It is not only the old who are wise
or the elderly who understand how to judge.
10 Therefore I say, “Listen to me.
I too will declare what I know.”
11 Look, I waited for your conclusions;
I listened to your insights
as you sought for words.
12 I paid close attention to you.
Yet no one proved Job wrong;
not one of you refuted his arguments.
13 So do not claim, “We have found wisdom;
let God deal with him, not man.”
14 But Job has not directed his argument to me,
and I will not respond to him with your arguments.
15 Job’s friends are dismayed and can no longer answer;
words have left them.
16 Should I continue to wait now that they are silent,
now that they stand there and no longer answer?
17 I too will answer;[c]
yes, I will tell what I know.
18 For I am full of words,
and my spirit[d] compels me to speak.(F)
19 My heart[e] is like unvented wine;
it is about to burst like new wineskins.(G)
20 I must speak so that I can find relief;
I must open my lips and respond.
21 I will be partial to no one,(H)
and I will not give anyone an undeserved title.
22 For I do not know how to give such titles;
otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant.
Job 32
EasyEnglish Bible
Elihu now speaks to Job[a]
32 Job would not agree that he had done anything that was wrong. So his three friends refused to argue with him any more. 2 Another man was also there. His name was Elihu, Barakel's son. Barakel was a descendant of Buz. He belonged to Ram's clan.
Elihu became very angry with Job. He was angry because Job continued to say that he was not guilty. Job said that God was wrong to punish him. 3 Elihu was also angry with Job's three friends. They had not been able to find an answer to Job's problem. But they still said that Job was guilty. 4 Elihu had waited for Job's three friends to speak before he spoke to Job himself. He waited because he was younger than them. 5 But he became angry when Job's three friends had nothing more to say. So he finally decided to speak.
6 Barakel's son, Elihu, said this:
‘I am young and you are old.
So I was afraid to tell you what I was thinking.
7 I thought, “Older men should speak.
They have lived for many years and they should share their wisdom.”
8 But it is a person's spirit that helps them to understand things.
Almighty God has to put his breath into them.
9 Not all old people are wise.
Old people do not always understand what is right.
10 So I say, “Listen to me.
I too will explain what I know.”
11 Yes, I waited for you all to speak.
I listened to your wise thoughts,
as you tried to find the right words to say.
12 I listened carefully to you,
as you argued with Job.
But none of you could show Job that he was wrong.
None of you was able to answer his problems.
13 So do not say, “We are wise.”
Do not say, “God must show Job that he is wrong.
People cannot do that.”
14 Job was not speaking to me about his problems.
So I will not answer him in the way that you did.
15 Now they are upset!
They have no more answers to give.
There is nothing more that they can say.
16 I have waited for them,
and now they say nothing.
They stand there and they have no more answers.
17 So now I will say what I think.
I, too, will tell you what I know.
18 There are many things that I want to say.
The spirit inside me causes me to speak.
19 I cannot keep quiet any longer!
I am like a bag that is full of new wine.
I am ready to break so that everything pours out!
20 So I have to speak or I will become ill.
I must open my mouth and reply to you.
21 I will be fair in what I say.
I will not give honour to anyone to get their help.
22 I am too honest to do that.
If I am not fair,
God, my Maker, would quickly remove me.’
Footnotes
- 32:1 In the next six chapters, we read the words of a man called Elihu. In chapters 32 and 33, he tries to help Job to understand several things. First, Job had said that God had not answered his questions. Elihu tells Job that God does speak to people. He speaks if people will listen (chapter 33, verses 14 to 17). Second, Job thinks that God has not been fair. This is how Elihu answers that: Sometimes God sends an illness to teach people the right way to live (chapter 33, verses 19 to 28).
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