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Job 33
New International Version
Job 33
New International Version
33 “But now, Job, listen(A) to my words;
pay attention to everything I say.(B)
2 I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.
3 My words come from an upright heart;(C)
my lips sincerely speak what I know.(D)
4 The Spirit(E) of God has made me;(F)
the breath of the Almighty(G) gives me life.(H)
5 Answer me(I) then, if you can;
stand up(J) and argue your case before me.(K)
6 I am the same as you in God’s sight;(L)
I too am a piece of clay.(M)
7 No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy on you.(N)
8 “But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—
9 ‘I am pure,(O) I have done no wrong;(P)
I am clean and free from sin.(Q)
10 Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.(R)
11 He fastens my feet in shackles;(S)
he keeps close watch on all my paths.’(T)
12 “But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than any mortal.(U)
13 Why do you complain to him(V)
that he responds to no one’s words[a]?(W)
14 For God does speak(X)—now one way, now another(Y)—
though no one perceives it.(Z)
15 In a dream,(AA) in a vision(AB) of the night,(AC)
when deep sleep(AD) falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
16 he may speak(AE) in their ears
and terrify them(AF) with warnings,(AG)
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,(AH)
18 to preserve them from the pit,(AI)
their lives from perishing by the sword.[b](AJ)
19 “Or someone may be chastened(AK) on a bed of pain(AL)
with constant distress in their bones,(AM)
20 so that their body finds food(AN) repulsive
and their soul loathes the choicest meal.(AO)
21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
and their bones,(AP) once hidden, now stick out.(AQ)
22 They draw near to the pit,(AR)
and their life to the messengers of death.[c](AS)
23 Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger,(AT) one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,(AU)
24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
‘Spare them from going down to the pit;(AV)
I have found a ransom for them(AW)—
25 let their flesh be renewed(AX) like a child’s;
let them be restored as in the days of their youth’(AY)—
26 then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,(AZ)
they will see God’s face and shout for joy;(BA)
he will restore them to full well-being.(BB)
27 And they will go to others and say,
‘I have sinned,(BC) I have perverted what is right,(BD)
but I did not get what I deserved.(BE)
28 God has delivered(BF) me from going down to the pit,(BG)
and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’(BH)
Job 33
New American Standard Bible
Job 33
New American Standard Bible
Elihu Claims to Speak for God
33 “However, please (A)hear my speech, Job,
And listen to all my words.
2 Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my [a]mouth speaks.
3 My words are from the integrity of my heart,
And my lips speak (B)knowledge sincerely.
4 The (C)Spirit of God has made me,
And the (D)breath of [b]the Almighty gives me life.
5 (E)Refute me if you can;
Line up against me, take your stand.
6 Behold, I belong to God, like you;
I too have been [c]formed out of the (F)clay.
7 Behold, (G)no fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.
8 “You have in fact spoken [d]while I listened,
And I heard the sound of your words:
9 ‘I am (H)pure, (I)without wrongdoing;
I am innocent and there (J)is no guilt in me.
10 Behold, He [e]invents [f]criticisms against me;
He (K)counts me as His enemy.
11 He (L)puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.’
12 Behold, let me respond to you, (M)you are not right in this,
For God is greater than mankind.
13 “Why do you (N)complain to Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
14 Indeed (O)God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
15 In a (P)dream, a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
While they slumber in their beds,
16 Then (Q)He opens the ears of people,
And horrifies them with warnings,
17 So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct,
And [g]keep a man from pride;
18 He (R)keeps his soul back from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the (S)spear.
19 “A person is also rebuked by (T)pain in his bed,
And with constant complaint in his bones,
20 So that his life (U)loathes bread,
And his soul, food [h]that he should crave.
21 His (V)flesh wastes away from sight,
And his (W)bones, which were not seen, stick out.
22 Then (X)his soul comes near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.
23 “If there is an (Y)interceding angel for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a person of what is [i]right for him,
24 And he is gracious to him, and says,
‘Free him from (Z)going down to the pit,
I have found a (AA)ransom’;
25 Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
26 Then he will (AB)pray to God, and He will accept him,
So that (AC)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 (AD)have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not (AE)proper for me.
28 He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life will (AF)see the light.’
29 “Behold, God does (AG)all these things for a man two or three times,
30 To (AH)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 [j]you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you.
33 If not, (AI)listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Job 33
New Catholic Bible
Job 33
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 33
God Is Greater Than Any Human Being[a]
1 “Therefore, O Job, listen to my words
and pay careful attention to everything I have to say.
2 Behold, I have opened my mouth;
the words are on the tip of my tongue.
3 My words issue forth from an upright heart,
and my lips will be sincere in what I say.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 “Refute me if you are able to do so;
prepare your arguments and confront me.
6 In the sight of God I am just like you;
like you, I was formed from a piece of clay.
7 Therefore, no fear of me should frighten you,
nor should you feel any pressure on my account.
8 “You have offered your defense in my presence,
and I have listened carefully to the words you spoke.
9 You said, ‘I am pure and without sin;
I am clean, and there is no fault in me.
10 Yet God continues to invent excuses against me
and regards me as his enemy.
11 He fastens my feet in shackles
and watches everything I do.’
12 “In regard to this, I tell you, you are completely wrong.
God is greater than any human being.
13 Why then do you utter endless complaints
that he will not explain his decisions to you?
God Speaks in Many Ways[b]
14 “For God does speak, first in one way and then in another,
although we do not always perceive it.
15 “In dreams and in visions of the night,
when deep sleep falls upon men
as they slumber on their beds,
16 God then opens their ears
and issues warnings that strike them with terror,
17 so that he may turn man away from evil
and check his pride.
18 In this way he spares his soul from the pit[c]
and his life from a violent death.
19 “Or again, he chastens him with pain upon his bed
and with unceasing agony in his bones,
20 so that he regards food with loathing
and rejects the choicest dishes.
21 His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
and his bones that once were invisible now begin to show.
22 His soul draws nearer to the pit
and his life to the abode of the dead.
23 “But then, if there should be an angel on his side,
one out of a thousand, a mediator,
to show him what is right for him
and expound God’s righteousness to him,
24 he will take pity on him and say,
‘Spare him from going down into the pit;
I have the ransom for his life.’
25 Then his flesh will regain its boyish freshness,
and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor.
26 “Then, if he entreats God to show him favor
and allow him to enter his presence with joy,
27 he will affirm before everyone,
‘I sinned and departed from the path of righteousness,
but God has not punished me as I deserved.
28 He spared my soul from descending into the pit,
and I will behold the light of life.’
29 “God indeed does all these things
again and again[d] for a man,
30 bringing back his soul from the pit
so that he may see the light of life.
31 “Be attentive, Job, and listen to me;
be silent and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, then answer me;
speak, for I desire to justify you.
33 But if you have nothing to say, then listen to me;
be silent and I will teach you wisdom.”
Footnotes
- Job 33:1 As far as Elihu is concerned, Job is too sure of himself. One cannot discuss things with God as an equal. In addition, Elihu correctly brings out that Job’s perception of God as his enemy (v. 10; 13:24; 19:11) is wrong.
- Job 33:14 When God manifests himself, human beings tremble with a salutary fear (Gen 20:3; 28:17). God also speaks through sickness, which could be transformed into the moment for inner renewal that leads to hope for the joy of a cure. An angel translates this language for humans and successfully intervenes for them before God.
- Job 33:18 Pit: i.e., the grave (see also vv. 22, 24, 28, 30).
- Job 33:29 Again and again: literally, “twice . . . three times” (see note on Job 5:19).
Job 33
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Job 33
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Elihu Confronts Job
33 But now, Job, pay attention to my speech,
and listen to all my words.
2 I am going to open my mouth;
my tongue will form words on my palate.
3 My words come from my upright(A) heart,
and my lips speak with sincerity what they know.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty(B) gives me life.(C)
5 Refute me if you can.
Prepare(D) your case against me; take your stand.(E)
6 I am just like you before God;
I was also pinched off from a piece of clay.(F)
7 Fear(G) of me should not terrify you;
no pressure from me should weigh you down.
8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard these very[a] words:
9 ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean and have no iniquity.(H)
10 But he finds reasons to oppose me;
he regards me as his enemy.(I)
11 He puts my feet in the stocks;
he stands watch(J) over all my paths.’
12 But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter,
since God is greater than man.(K)
13 Why do you take(L) him to court
for not answering anything a person asks?[b]
14 For God speaks time and again,
but a person may not notice it.
15 In a dream, a vision(M) in the night,
when deep sleep comes over people(N)
as they slumber on their beds,
16 he uncovers their ears(O)
and terrifies them[c] with warnings,
17 in order to turn a person from his actions
and suppress the pride of a person.
18 God spares his soul from the Pit,(P)
his life from crossing the river of death.[d]
19 A person may be disciplined on his bed(Q) with pain
and constant distress in his bones,(R)
20 so that he detests bread,
and his soul despises his favourite food.(S)
21 His flesh wastes away to nothing,[e]
and his unseen bones stick out.
22 He draws near to the Pit,
and his life to the executioners.
23 If there is an angel(T) on his side,
one mediator out of a thousand,
to tell a person what is right for him[f]
24 and to be gracious to him and say,
‘Spare him from going down to the Pit;
I have found a ransom,’(U)
25 then his flesh will be healthier[g] than in his youth,
and he will return to the days of his youthful vigour.(V)
26 He will pray to God, and God will delight in him.
That person will see his face(W) with a shout of joy,
and God will restore his righteousness to him.(X)
27 He will look at men and say,
‘I have sinned and perverted what was right;
yet I did not get what I deserved.[h]
28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,
and I will continue to see the light.’
29 God certainly does all these things
two or three times to a person
30 in order to turn him back from the Pit,
so he may shine with the light of life.(Y)
31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me.
Be quiet, and I will speak.
32 But if you have something to say,[i] answer me;
speak, for I would like to justify you.
33 If not, then listen to me;
be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.
Footnotes
- 33:8 Lit heard a sound of
- 33:13 Lit court, for he does not answer all his words
- 33:16 LXX; MT reads and seals
- 33:18 Or from perishing by the sword
- 33:21 Lit away from sight
- 33:23 Or to vouch for a person’s uprightness
- 33:25 Hb obscure
- 33:27 Lit and the same was not to me
- 33:32 Lit If there are words
New International Version (NIV) 
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New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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Christian Standard Bible Anglicised (CSBA)
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