Job 33
Good News Translation
33 And now, Job, listen carefully
to all that I have to say.
2 I am ready to say what's on my mind.
3 All my words are sincere,
and I am speaking the truth.
4 God's spirit made me and gave me life.
5 Answer me if you can. Prepare your arguments.
6 You and I are the same in God's sight,
both of us were formed from clay.
7 So you have no reason to fear me;
I will not overpower you.
8 Now this is what I heard you say:
9 “I am not guilty; I have done nothing wrong.
I am innocent and free from sin.
10 But God finds excuses for attacking me
and treats me like an enemy.
11 (A)He binds chains on my feet;
he watches every move I make.”
12 But I tell you, Job, you are wrong.
God is greater than any human being.
13 Why do you accuse God
of never answering our complaints?
14 Although God speaks again and again,
no one pays attention to what he says.
15 (B)At night when people are asleep,
God speaks in dreams and visions.
16 He makes them listen to what he says,
and they are frightened at his warnings.
17 God speaks to make them stop their sinning
and to save them from becoming proud.
18 He will not let them be destroyed;
he saves them from death itself.
19 God corrects us by sending sickness
and filling our bodies with pain.
20 Those who are sick lose their appetites,
and even the finest food looks revolting.
21 Their bodies waste away to nothing;
you can see all their bones;
22 they are about to go to the world of the dead.
23 Perhaps an angel may come to their aid—
one of God's thousands of angels,
who remind us of our duty.
24 In mercy the angel will say, “Release them!
They are not to go down to the world of the dead.
Here is the ransom to set them free.”
25 Their bodies will grow young and strong again;
26 when they pray, God will answer;
they will worship God with joy;
God will set things right for them again.
27 Each one will say in public, “I have sinned.
I have not done right, but God spared me.
28 He kept me from going to the world of the dead,
and I am still alive.”
29 God does all this again and again;
30 each one saves a person's life,
and gives him the joy of living.
31 Now, Job, listen to what I am saying;
be quiet and let me speak.
32 But if you have something to say, let me hear it;
I would gladly admit you are in the right.
33 But if not, be quiet and listen to me,
and I will teach you how to be wise.
Job 33
New Living Translation
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.[a]
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!”
Footnotes
- 33:27 Greek version reads but he [God] did not punish me as my sin deserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
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.
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