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Elihu was the youngest one there, so he had waited until everyone finished talking. But when he saw that Job’s three friends had nothing more to say, his anger forced him to speak. So here’s what Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

“I am only a young man, and you are all older.
    That is why I was afraid to tell you what I think.
I thought to myself, ‘Older people should speak first.
    They have lived many years, so they have learned many things.’
But it is the spirit in people, the breath from God All-Powerful,
    that makes them understand.
Old men are not the only wise people.
    They are not the only ones who understand what is right.

10 “So please listen to me,
    and I will tell you what I think.

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Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were years older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men, he burned with anger.

Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite said,

“I am young, and you are aged;
For that reason I was anxious and dared not tell you what I think.

“I thought age should speak,
And a multitude of years should teach wisdom.

“But there is [a vital force and] a spirit [of intelligence] in man,
And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.(A)

“Those [who are] abundant in years may not [always] be wise,
Nor may the elders [always] understand justice.
10 
“Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;
I also will give you my opinion [about Job’s situation] and tell you plainly what I think.’

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