Job 34
New Living Translation
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.”
Job 34
1599 Geneva Bible
34 5 Elihu chargeth Job, that he called himself righteous. 12 He showeth that God is just in his judgments. 24 God destroyeth the mighty. 30 By him the hypocrite reigneth.
1 Moreover Elihu answered and said,
2 Hear my words, ye [a]wise men, and hearken unto me ye that have knowledge.
3 For the ear trieth the words, as the mouth tasteth meat.
4 Let us seek [b]judgment among us, and let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job hath said, I am righteous, and God hath taken [c]away my judgment.
6 Should I lie in my [d]right? my wound of the arrow is [e]grievous without my sin.
7 What man is like Job, that drinketh [f]scornfulness like water?
8 Which goeth in the [g]company of them that work iniquity, and walketh with wicked men?
9 For he hath said, It [h]profiteth a man nothing that he should [i]walk with God.
10 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of wisdom, God forbid that wickedness should be in God, and iniquity in the Almighty.
11 For he will render unto man according to his work, and cause everyone to find according to his way.
12 And certainly God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.
13 Whom (A)hath he appointed over the earth besides himself? or who hath placed the whole world?
14 If [j]he set his heart upon man, and gather unto himself his spirit [k]and his breath,
15 All flesh shall perish together, and man shall return unto dust.
16 And if thou hast understanding, hear this, and hearken to the voice of my words.
17 Shall he that hateth judgment, [l]govern? and wilt thou judge him wicked that is most just?
18 Wilt thou say unto a king, Thou art [m]wicked? or to princes, Ye are ungodly?
19 How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, and regardeth not the rich, more than the poor? for they be all the work of his hands.
20 They shall die suddenly, [n]and the people shall be troubled at midnight, [o]and they shall pass forth and take away the mighty without hand.
21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death, that the workers of iniquity might be hid therein.
23 For he will not lay on man so much, that he should [p]enter into judgment with God.
24 He shall break the mighty without [q]seeking, and shall set up others in their stead.
25 Therefore shall he declare their [r]works: he shall turn the [s]night, and they shall be destroyed.
26 He striketh them as wicked men in the places of the [t]seers,
27 Because they have turned back from him, and would not consider all his ways:
28 So that they have caused the voice of the poor to [u]come unto him, and he hath heard the cry of the afflicted.
29 And when he giveth quietness, who can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who can behold him, whether it be upon nations, or upon a man only?
30 Because the [v]hypocrite doth reign, and because the people are snared.
31 Surely it appertaineth unto God [w]to say, I have pardoned, I will not destroy.
32 [x]But if I see not, teach thou me: if I have done wickedly, I will do no more.
33 Will he perform the thing through [y]thee? for thou hast reproved [z]it, because that thou hast chosen, and not I: now speak what thou knowest.
34 Let men of understanding tell me, and let a wise man hearken unto me.
35 Job hath not spoken of knowledge, neither were his words according to wisdom.
36 I desire that Job may be [aa]tried, unto the end, touching the answers for wicked men.
37 For he [ab]addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God.
Footnotes
- Job 34:2 Which are esteemed wise of the world.
- Job 34:4 Let us examine the matter uprightly.
- Job 34:5 That is, hath afflicted me without measure.
- Job 34:6 Should I say, I am wicked, being an innocent?
- Job 34:6 I am sorer punished, than my sin deserveth.
- Job 34:7 Which is compelled to receive thy reproach and scorns of many for his foolish words.
- Job 34:8 Meaning, that Job was like to the wicked, because he seemed not to glorify God and submit himself to his judgments.
- Job 34:9 He wresteth Job’s words who said that God’s children are ofttimes punished in this world, and the wicked go free.
- Job 34:9 That is, live godly, as Gen. 5:22.
- Job 34:14 To destroy him.
- Job 34:14 The breath of life which he gave man.
- Job 34:17 If God were not just, how could he govern the world?
- Job 34:18 If man of nature fear to speak evil of such as have power, then much more ought they to be afraid to speak evil of God.
- Job 34:20 When they look not for it.
- Job 34:20 The messengers of visitation that God shall send.
- Job 34:23 God doth not afflict man above measure, so that he should have occasion to contend with him.
- Job 34:24 For all his creatures are at hand to serve him, so that he needeth not to seek for any other army.
- Job 34:25 Make them manifest that they are wicked.
- Job 34:25 Declare the things that were hid.
- Job 34:26 Meaning, openly in the sight of all men.
- Job 34:28 By their cruelty and extortion.
- Job 34:30 When tyrants sit in the throne of justice which under pretence of executing justice are but hypocrites and oppress the people, it is a sign that God hath drawn back his countenance of favor from that place.
- Job 34:31 Only it belongeth to God to moderate his corrections, and not unto man.
- Job 34:32 Thus Elihu speaketh in the person of God, as it were mocking Job, because he would be wiser than God.
- Job 34:33 Will God use thy counsel in doing his works?
- Job 34:33 Thus he speaketh in the person of God, as though Job should choose and refuse affliction at his pleasure.
- Job 34:36 That he may speak as much as he can, that we may answer him and all the wicked that shall use such arguments.
- Job 34:37 He standeth stubbornly in the maintenance of his cause.
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.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
