Job 32-34
New American Standard Bible
Elihu Rebukes Job in Anger
32 Then these three men stopped 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 justified himself [a](D)before God. 3 And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, yet they had condemned Job. 4 Now Elihu had waited [b]to speak to Job because they were years older than he. 5 But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger burned.
6 So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite [c]spoke out and said,
“I am young in years and you are (E)old;
Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you [d]what I think.
7 I [e]thought [f](F)age should speak,
And [g]increased years should teach wisdom.
8 But it is a spirit that is in mankind,
And the (G)breath of the Almighty gives them (H)understanding.
9 The [h]abundant in years may not be wise,
Nor may (I)elders understand justice.
10 So I [i]say, ‘Listen to me,
I too will tell [j]what I think.’
11 “Behold, I waited for your words,
I listened to your skillful speech,
While you [k]pondered what to say.
12 I also paid close attention to you;
But [l]indeed, there was no one who refuted Job,
Not one of you who answered his words.
13 So do not say,
‘(J)We have found wisdom:
God will [m]defeat him, not man.’
14 But he has not presented his words against me,
Nor will I reply to him with your [n]arguments.
15 “They are dismayed, they no longer answer;
Words have [o]failed them.
16 Should I wait, because they are not speaking,
Because they have [p]stopped and no longer answer?
17 I too will [q]give my share of answers;
I also will tell my opinion.
18 For I am full of words;
The spirit within me compels me.
19 Behold, my belly is like unvented wine;
Like new wineskins, it is about to burst.
20 Let me speak so that I may get relief;
Let me open my lips and answer.
21 Let me (K)be partial to no one,
Nor flatter any man.
22 For I do not know how to flatter,
Otherwise my Maker would quickly take me away.
Elihu Claims to Speak for God
33 “However, please (L)hear my speech, Job,
And listen to all my words.
2 Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my [r]mouth speaks.
3 My words are from the integrity of my heart,
And my lips speak (M)knowledge sincerely.
4 The (N)Spirit of God has made me,
And the (O)breath of [s]the Almighty gives me life.
5 (P)Refute me if you can;
Line up against me, take your stand.
6 Behold, I belong to God, like you;
I too have been [t]formed out of the (Q)clay.
7 Behold, (R)no fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.
8 “You have in fact spoken [u]while I listened,
And I heard the sound of your words:
9 ‘I am (S)pure, (T)without wrongdoing;
I am innocent and there (U)is no guilt in me.
10 Behold, He [v]invents [w]criticisms against me;
He (V)counts me as His enemy.
11 He (W)puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.’
12 Behold, let me respond to you, (X)you are not right in this,
For God is greater than mankind.
13 “Why do you (Y)complain to Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
14 Indeed (Z)God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
15 In a (AA)dream, a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
While they slumber in their beds,
16 Then (AB)He opens the ears of people,
And horrifies them with warnings,
17 So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct,
And [x]keep a man from pride;
18 He (AC)keeps his soul back from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the (AD)spear.
19 “A person is also rebuked by (AE)pain in his bed,
And with constant complaint in his bones,
20 So that his life (AF)loathes bread,
And his soul, food [y]that he should crave.
21 His (AG)flesh wastes away from sight,
And his (AH)bones, which were not seen, stick out.
22 Then (AI)his soul comes near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.
23 “If there is an (AJ)interceding angel for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a person of what is [z]right for him,
24 And he is gracious to him, and says,
‘Free him from (AK)going down to the pit,
I have found a (AL)ransom’;
25 Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
26 Then he will (AM)pray to God, and He will accept him,
So that (AN)he may see His face with joy,
And He will restore His righteousness to that person.
27 He will sing to people and say,
‘I (AO)have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not (AP)proper for me.
28 He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life will (AQ)see the light.’
29 “Behold, God does (AR)all these things for a man two or three times,
30 To (AS)bring back his soul from the pit,
So that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
31 Pay attention, Job, listen to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.
32 Then if [aa]you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you.
33 If not, (AT)listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Elihu Vindicates God’s Justice
34 Then Elihu continued and said,
2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who understand.
3 For (AU)the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.
4 Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
Let us understand among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job has said, ‘(AV)I am righteous,
But (AW)God has taken away my right;
6 [ab]Should I lie about my right?
My [ac](AX)wound is incurable, though I am without wrongdoing.’
7 What man is like Job,
Who (AY)drinks up derision like water,
8 Who goes (AZ)in company with the workers of injustice,
And walks with wicked people?
9 For he has said, ‘(BA)It is of no use to a man
When he becomes friends with God.’
10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to (BB)do evil,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
11 For He repays a person for (BC)his work,
And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s [ad]behavior.
12 (BD)God certainly will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13 Who (BE)gave Him authority over the earth?
And who (BF)has placed the whole world on Him?
14 If He were to [ae]determine to do so,
If He were to (BG)gather His [af]spirit and His breath to Himself,
15 [ag](BH)Humanity would perish together,
And mankind would (BI)return to dust.
16 “But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
17 Shall (BJ)one who hates justice rule?
And (BK)will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
18 Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’
To nobles, ‘You wicked one’;
19 Who shows no (BL)partiality to the prominent,
Nor regards the rich as above the poor,
Since they are all the (BM)work of His hands?
20 In a moment they die, and (BN)at midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And (BO)the powerful are taken away without a hand.
21 “For (BP)His eyes are upon the ways of a person,
And He sees all his steps.
22 There is (BQ)no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of injustice can hide themselves.
23 For He does not (BR)need to consider a person further,
That he should go before God in judgment.
24 He breaks in pieces the (BS)mighty without investigation,
And sets others in their place.
25 Therefore He (BT)knows their deeds,
And (BU)He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.
26 He (BV)strikes them like the wicked
[ah]In a public place,
27 Because they (BW)turned aside from following Him,
And (BX)had no regard for any of His ways,
28 So that they caused (BY)the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He would (BZ)hear the cry of the afflicted—
29 When He keeps quiet, who can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can look at Him,
That is, regarding both nation and a person?—
30 So that (CA)godless people would not rule,
Nor be snares for the people.
31 “For has anyone said to God,
‘I have endured punishment;
I will not offend anymore;
32 Teach me what I do not see;
If I have (CB)done wrong,
I will not do it again’?
33 Shall God (CC)repay on your terms, because you have rejected His?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.
34 Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,
35 ‘Job (CD)speaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.
36 Oh that Job were tested [ai]to the limit,
Because [aj]he answers (CE)like sinners.
37 For he adds (CF)rebellion to his sin;
He (CG)claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.’”
Footnotes
- Job 32:2 Or more than
- Job 32:4 Lit for Job with words; or possibly while they were speaking with Job
- Job 32:6 Lit answered
- Job 32:6 Lit my knowledge
- Job 32:7 Lit said
- Job 32:7 Lit days
- Job 32:7 Lit many
- Job 32:9 Lit great (i.e., in years); or nobles
- Job 32:10 Or said
- Job 32:10 Lit my knowledge
- Job 32:11 Lit searched out words
- Job 32:12 Lit Behold
- Job 32:13 Lit scatter
- Job 32:14 Lit words
- Job 32:15 Lit moved away from
- Job 32:16 Lit stand
- Job 32:17 Lit answer my share
- Job 33:2 Lit palate
- Job 33:4 Heb Shaddai
- Job 33:6 Lit cut out of
- Job 33:8 Lit in my ears
- Job 33:10 Lit finds
- Job 33:10 Or complaints
- Job 33:17 Lit hide
- Job 33:20 Lit of craving
- Job 33:23 Lit his uprightness
- Job 33:32 Lit there are words
- Job 34:6 Or Although I am right I am accounted a liar.
- Job 34:6 Lit arrow
- Job 34:11 Lit way
- Job 34:14 Lit set His mind on Himself
- Job 34:14 Or Spirit
- Job 34:15 Lit All flesh
- Job 34:26 Lit In the place of the ones seeing
- Job 34:36 Or to the end
- Job 34:36 Lit of answers like
Job 32-34
New Living Translation
Elihu Responds to Job’s Friends
32 Job’s three friends refused to reply further to him because he kept insisting on his innocence.
2 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him. 3 He was also angry with Job’s three friends, for they made God[a] appear to be wrong by their inability to answer Job’s arguments. 4 Elihu had waited for the others to speak to Job because they were older than he. 5 But when he saw that they had no further reply, he spoke out angrily. 6 Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said,
“I am young and you are old,
so I held back from telling you what I think.
7 I thought, ‘Those who are older should speak,
for wisdom comes with age.’
8 But there is a spirit[b] within people,
the breath of the Almighty within them,
that makes them intelligent.
9 Sometimes the elders are not wise.
Sometimes the aged do not understand justice.
10 So listen to me,
and let me tell you what I think.
11 “I have waited all this time,
listening very carefully to your arguments,
listening to you grope for words.
12 I have listened,
but not one of you has refuted Job
or answered his arguments.
13 And don’t tell me, ‘He is too wise for us.
Only God can convince him.’
14 If Job had been arguing with me,
I would not answer with your kind of logic!
15 You sit there baffled,
with nothing more to say.
16 Should I continue to wait, now that you are silent?
Must I also remain silent?
17 No, I will say my piece.
I will speak my mind.
18 For I am full of pent-up words,
and the spirit within me urges me on.
19 I am like a cask of wine without a vent,
like a new wineskin ready to burst!
20 I must speak to find relief,
so let me give my answers.
21 I won’t play favorites
or try to flatter anyone.
22 For if I tried flattery,
my Creator would soon destroy me.
Elihu Presents His Case against Job
33 “Listen to my words, Job;
pay attention to what I have to say.
2 Now that I have begun to speak,
let me continue.
3 I speak with all sincerity;
I speak the truth.
4 For the Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 Answer me, if you can;
make your case and take your stand.
6 Look, you and I both belong to God.
I, too, was formed from clay.
7 So you don’t need to be afraid of me.
I won’t come down hard on you.
8 “You have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard your very words.
9 You said, ‘I am pure; I am without sin;
I am innocent; I have no guilt.
10 God is picking a quarrel with me,
and he considers me his enemy.
11 He puts my feet in the stocks
and watches my every move.’
12 “But you are wrong, and I will show you why.
For God is greater than any human being.
13 So why are you bringing a charge against him?
Why say he does not respond to people’s complaints?
14 For God speaks again and again,
though people do not recognize it.
15 He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night,
when deep sleep falls on people
as they lie in their beds.
16 He whispers in their ears
and terrifies them with warnings.
17 He makes them turn from doing wrong;
he keeps them from pride.
18 He protects them from the grave,
from crossing over the river of death.
19 “Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds,
with ceaseless aching in their bones.
20 They lose their appetite
for even the most delicious food.
21 Their flesh wastes away,
and their bones stick out.
22 They are at death’s door;
the angels of death wait for them.
23 “But if an angel from heaven appears—
a special messenger to intercede for a person
and declare that he is upright—
24 he will be gracious and say,
‘Rescue him from the grave,
for I have found a ransom for his life.’
25 Then his body will become as healthy as a child’s,
firm and youthful again.
26 When he prays to God,
he will be accepted.
And God will receive him with joy
and restore him to good standing.
27 He will declare to his friends,
‘I sinned and twisted the truth,
but it was not worth it.[c]
28 God rescued me from the grave,
and now my life is filled with light.’
29 “Yes, God does these things
again and again for people.
30 He rescues them from the grave
so they may enjoy the light of life.
31 Mark this well, Job. Listen to me,
for I have more to say.
32 But if you have anything to say, go ahead.
Speak, for I am anxious to see you justified.
33 But if not, then listen to me.
Keep silent and I will teach you wisdom!”
Elihu Accuses Job of Arrogance
34 Then Elihu said:
2 “Listen to me, you wise men.
Pay attention, you who have knowledge.
3 Job said, ‘The ear tests the words it hears
just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.’
4 So let us discern for ourselves what is right;
let us learn together what is good.
5 For Job also said, ‘I am innocent,
but God has taken away my rights.
6 I am innocent, but they call me a liar.
My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned.’
7 “Tell me, has there ever been a man like Job,
with his thirst for irreverent talk?
8 He chooses evil people as companions.
He spends his time with wicked men.
9 He has even said, ‘Why waste time
trying to please God?’
10 “Listen to me, you who have understanding.
Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin!
The Almighty can do no wrong.
11 He repays people according to their deeds.
He treats people as they deserve.
12 Truly, God will not do wrong.
The Almighty will not twist justice.
13 Did someone else put the world in his care?
Who set the whole world in place?
14 If God were to take back his spirit
and withdraw his breath,
15 all life would cease,
and humanity would turn again to dust.
16 “Now listen to me if you are wise.
Pay attention to what I say.
17 Could God govern if he hated justice?
Are you going to condemn the almighty judge?
18 For he says to kings, ‘You are wicked,’
and to nobles, ‘You are unjust.’
19 He doesn’t care how great a person may be,
and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor.
He made them all.
20 In a moment they die.
In the middle of the night they pass away;
the mighty are removed without human hand.
21 “For God watches how people live;
he sees everything they do.
22 No darkness is thick enough
to hide the wicked from his eyes.
23 We don’t set the time
when we will come before God in judgment.
24 He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone,
and he sets up others in their place.
25 He knows what they do,
and in the night he overturns and destroys them.
26 He strikes them down because they are wicked,
doing it openly for all to see.
27 For they turned away from following him.
They have no respect for any of his ways.
28 They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention.
He hears the cries of the needy.
29 But if he chooses to remain quiet,
who can criticize him?
When he hides his face, no one can find him,
whether an individual or a nation.
30 He prevents the godless from ruling
so they cannot be a snare to the people.
31 “Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned,
but I will sin no more’?
32 Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done—tell me.
If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?
33 “Must God tailor his justice to your demands?
But you have rejected him!
The choice is yours, not mine.
Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.
34 After all, bright people will tell me,
and wise people will hear me say,
35 ‘Job speaks out of ignorance;
his words lack insight.’
36 Job, you deserve the maximum penalty
for the wicked way you have talked.
37 For you have added rebellion to your sin;
you show no respect,
and you speak many angry words against God.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
