Job 33
Lexham English Bible
Elihu Rebukes Job
33 “But now, please hear my speeches,[a] Job,
and hear[b] all my words.
2 Please look, I open my mouth;
my tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 My words declare my heart’s uprightness,
and my lips sincerely speak what my lips know.[c]
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of Shaddai gives life to me.
5 “If you are able, answer me.
Present your argument before me;[d] take your stand.
6 Look, before God I am like you;[e]
I myself was also formed from clay.
7 Look, dread of me should not terrify you,
and my hand will not be heavy upon you.
8 “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
and I have heard the sound of your words:[f]
9 ‘I am clean, without transgression;
I am pure, and there is no guilt in me.
10 Look, he finds fault against me;
he reckons me as his enemy;
11 he puts my feet in the block;
he watches all my paths.’
12 “Look, in this you are not right—I will answer you:
Indeed, God is greater than a human being.
13 Why do you contend against him,
that he will not answer all a person’s words?
14 Indeed, God speaks in one way,
even[g] in two,[h] yet someone does not perceive it.
15 “In a dream, a vision of the night,
when a deep sleep falls on men slumbering on their bed,
16 then he opens the ear of men,
and he frightens them with a warning[i]
17 to turn human beings aside from their deeds,
and he keeps man from pride.
18 He spares his life from the pit
and his life from passing over the river of death.
19 “And he is reproved with pain on his bed,
even[j] with the strife of his bones continually,
20 so that[k] his life loathes bread,
and his inner self[l] loathes appetizing food.[m]
21 His flesh is wasted away from sight,
and his bones, which are invisible, are bared.
22 And he[n] draws near to the pit
and his life to the killers.
23 “If there is a messenger beside him, a mediator, one of a thousand,[o]
to declare to a human being his uprightness
24 so that[p] he is gracious to him, and he says,
‘Deliver him from descending into the pit;
I have found a ransom.’
25 His flesh is renewed with his youth;
he returns to the days of his youthful strength.
26 He prays to God, then he accepts him,
and he sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he repays to the human being his righteousness.
27 “He will sing to men, and he will say,
‘I have sinned and have perverted what is right,
and it was not paid back to me.
28 He redeemed my life from going down into the pit,
so[q] I will enjoy the light.’[r]
29 Look, God does all these things
twice, three times[s] with a person
30 to bring his life back from the pit
so that he may enjoy the light of life.[t]
31 “Listen attentively, Job; listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say,[u] answer me;[v]
speak, for I desire to justify you.[w]
33 If not, you listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Footnotes
- Job 33:1 Or “my sentences,” or “what I have to say”
- Job 33:1 Or “give ear to”
- Job 33:3 Literally “the knowledge of my lips”
- Job 33:5 Literally “to the face of me”
- Job 33:6 Literally “I am like your mouth”
- Job 33:8 Or “sentences,” or “what you say”
- Job 33:14 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:14 Or “time and again” (NJPS, HCSB)
- Job 33:16 Literally “with their warning he frightens”
- Job 33:19 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:20 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:20 Or “soul”
- Job 33:20 Literally “food of desire”
- Job 33:22 Literally “his inner self/soul”
- Job 33:23 That is, “unique,” or “one of a kind”
- Job 33:24 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:28 Hebrew “and”
- Job 33:28 Literally “my life in the light will see”
- Job 33:29 Or “time and again,” or “oftentimes” (NASB, NASU), or “several times”
- Job 33:30 Literally “to be lighted with the light of the life”
- Job 33:32 Literally “If there are words,” or “If there are sentences”
- Job 33:32 Literally “return to me”
- Job 33:32 Literally “your righteousness”
Job 33
King James Version
33 Wherefore, Job, I pray thee, hear my speeches, and hearken to all my words.
2 Behold, now I have opened my mouth, my tongue hath spoken in my mouth.
3 My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.
4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
5 If thou canst answer me, set thy words in order before me, stand up.
6 Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.
7 Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.
8 Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
9 I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.
10 Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,
11 He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.
12 Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
13 Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
16 Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
18 He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
19 He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain:
20 So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.
21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.
22 Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers.
23 If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:
24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
25 His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth:
26 He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.
27 He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
28 He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
29 Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
31 Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I will speak.
32 If thou hast anything to say, answer me: speak, for I desire to justify thee.
33 If not, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I shall teach thee wisdom.
Job 33
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 33
1 Therefore, O Job, hear my discourse;
listen to all my words.
2 Behold, now I open my mouth;
my tongue and voice form words.
3 I will state directly what is in my mind,
my lips shall speak knowledge clearly;
4 For the spirit of God made me,
the breath of the Almighty keeps me alive.(A)
5 If you are able, refute me;
draw up your arguments and take your stand.
6 Look, I am like you before God,
I too was pinched from clay.[a](B)
7 Therefore fear of me should not dismay you,
nor should I weigh heavily upon you.
8 But you have said in my hearing,
as I listened to the sound of your words:
9 “I am clean, without transgression;
I am innocent, there is no guilt in me.(C)
10 Yet he invents pretexts against me
and counts me as an enemy.[b](D)
11 He puts my feet in the stocks,
watches all my paths!”(E)
12 In this you are not just, let me tell you;
for God is greater than mortals.
13 Why, then, do you make complaint against him
that he gives no reply to their words?(F)
14 For God does speak, once,
even twice, though you do not see it:[c]
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls upon mortals
as they slumber in their beds.
16 It is then he opens their ears
and with a warning, terrifies them,
17 By turning mortals from acting
and keeping pride away from a man,
18 He holds his soul from the pit,
his life from passing to the grave.
19 Or he is chastened on a bed of pain,
suffering continually in his bones,
20 So that to his appetite food is repulsive,
his throat rejects the choicest nourishment.(G)
21 His flesh is wasted, it cannot be seen;
bones, once invisible, appear;
22 His soul draws near to the pit,
his life to the place of the dead.
23 If then there be a divine messenger,[d]
a mediator, one out of a thousand,
to show him what is right,
24 He will take pity on him and say,
“Deliver him from going down to the pit;
I have found him a ransom.”
25 Then his flesh shall become soft as a boy’s;
he shall be again as in the days of his youth.
26 He shall pray and God will favor him;
he shall see God’s face with rejoicing;(H)
for he restores a person’s righteousness.
27 He shall sing before all and say,
“I sinned and did wrong,
yet I was not punished accordingly.
28 He delivered me from passing to the pit,
and my life sees light.”
29 See, all these things God does,
two, even three times, for a man,
30 Bringing back his soul from the pit
to the light, in the light of the living.
31 Be attentive, Job, listen to me!
Be silent and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, then answer me.
Speak out! I should like to see you justified.
33 If not, then you listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.
Footnotes
- 33:6 Pinched from clay: a reference to the tradition that human beings were made from clay; cf. Gn 2:7; Jb 10:9; Is 64:7.
- 33:10 Enemy: see note on 1:1; cf. 13:24.
- 33:14 Elihu asserts that God speaks through warning in dream and also through pain. However, his presupposition is that the restored person admits sinfulness (v. 27). This of course is not relevant to Job’s situation.
- 33:23 Divine messenger: or “angel,” one of the thousands who serve as mediators.
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