Job 34-37

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

² “Hear my words, you wise men,
    and give ear to me, you who know,
³ for the ear tests words
    as the palate tastes food.^(A)
4 Let us choose what is right;
    let us determine among ourselves what is good.^(B)
5 For Job has said, ‘I am innocent,
    and God has taken away my right;
⁶ in spite of being right I am counted a liar;
    my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’^(C)
7 Who is there like Job,
    who drinks up scoffing like water,^(D)
8 who goes in company with evildoers
    and walks with the wicked?^(E)
9 For he has said, ‘It profits one nothing
    to take delight in God.’^(F)

¹⁰ “Therefore, hear me, you who have sense;
    far be it from God that he should do wickedness
    and from the Almighty^[a] that he should do wrong.^(G)
11 For according to their deeds he will repay them,
    and according to their ways he will make it befall them.^(H)
12 Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
    and the Almighty^[b] will not pervert justice.^(I)
13 Who gave him charge over the earth,
    and who laid on him^[c] the whole world?^(J)
14 If he should take back his spirit^[d] to himself
    and gather to himself his breath,^(K)
15 all flesh would perish together,
    and all mortals return to dust.^(L)

¹⁶ “If you have understanding, hear this;
    listen to what I say.
¹⁷ Shall one who hates justice govern?
    Will you condemn one who is righteous and mighty,^(M)
18 who says to a king, ‘You scoundrel!’
    and to princes, ‘You wicked men!’;^(N)
19 who shows no partiality to nobles,
    nor regards the rich more than the poor,
    for they are all the work of his hands?^(O)
20 In a moment they die;
    at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
    and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.^(P)

²¹ “For his eyes are upon the ways of mortals,
    and he sees all their steps.^(Q)
22 There is no gloom or deep darkness
    where evildoers may hide themselves.^(R)
23 For he has not appointed a time^[e] for anyone
    to go before God in judgment.
²⁴ He shatters the mighty without investigation
    and sets others in their place.^(S)
25 Thus, knowing their works,
    he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.^(T)
26 He strikes them for their wickedness
    while others look on,^(U)
27 because they turned aside from following him
    and had no regard for any of his ways,^(V)
28 so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
    and he heard the cry of the afflicted—^(W)
29 When he is quiet, who can condemn?
    When he hides his face, who can behold him?
    Whether nation or person, it is the same—^(X)
30 so that the godless should not reign
    or those who ensnare the people.^(Y)

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
    ‘I have endured punishment; I will not offend any more;
³² teach me what I do not see;
    if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?^(Z)
33 Will he then pay back to suit you
    because you reject it?
For you must choose and not I;
    therefore declare what you know.^[f]
34 Those who have sense will say to me,
    and the wise who hear me will say,
³⁵ ‘Job speaks without knowledge;
    his words are without insight.’^(AA)
36 Would that Job were tried to the limit,
    because his answers are those of the wicked.^(AB)
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;
    he claps his hands among us
    and multiplies his words against God.”

² “Do you think this to be just?
    You say, ‘I am in the right before God.’^(AC)
3 If you ask, ‘What advantage have I?
    How am I better off than if I had sinned?’^(AD)
4 I will answer you
    and your friends with you.
⁵ Look at the heavens and see;
    observe the clouds, which are higher than you.^(AE)
6 If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?
    And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?^(AF)
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him,
    or what does he receive from your hand?^(AG)
8 Your wickedness affects others like you,
    and your righteousness, other human beings.

⁹ “Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;
    they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.^(AH)
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
    who gives strength in the night,^(AI)
11 who teaches us more than the animals of the earth
    and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’^(AJ)
12 There they cry out, but he does not answer,
    because of the pride of evildoers.^(AK)
13 Surely God does not hear an empty cry,
    nor does the Almighty^[g] regard it.^(AL)
14 How much less when you say that you do not see him,
    that the case is before him and you are waiting for him!^(AM)
15 And now, because his anger does not punish
    and he does not greatly heed transgression,^[h](AN)
16 Job opens his mouth in empty talk;
    he multiplies words without knowledge.”^(AO)

² “Bear with me a little, and I will show you,
    for I have yet something to say on God’s behalf.
³ I will bring my knowledge from far away
    and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.^(AP)
4 For truly my words are not false;
    one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.^(AQ)

⁵ “Surely God is mighty and does not despise any;
    he is mighty in strength of understanding.^(AR)
6 He does not keep the wicked alive
    but gives the afflicted their right.^(AS)
7 He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous,
    but with kings on the throne
    he sets them forever, and they are exalted.^(AT)
8 And if they are bound in fetters
    and caught in the cords of affliction,
⁹ then he declares to them their work
    and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.^(AU)
10 He opens their ears to instruction
    and commands that they return from iniquity.^(AV)
11 If they listen and serve him,
    they complete their days in prosperity
    and their years in pleasantness.^(AW)
12 But if they do not listen, they shall perish by the sword
    and die without knowledge.^(AX)

¹³ “The godless in heart cherish anger;
    they do not cry for help when he binds them.^(AY)
14 They die in their youth,
    and their life ends in shame.^[i](AZ)
15 He delivers the afflicted by their affliction
    and opens their ear by adversity.^(BA)
16 He also allured you out of distress
    into a broad place where there was no constraint,
    and what was set on your table was full of fatness.^(BB)

¹⁷ “But you are obsessed with the case of the wicked;
    judgment and justice seize you.
¹⁸ Beware that wrath does not entice you into scoffing,
    and do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.^(BC)
19 Will your cry avail to keep you from distress,
    or will all the force of your strength?
²⁰ Do not long for the night,
    when peoples are cut off in their place.^(BD)
21 Beware! Do not turn to iniquity;
    because of that you have been tried by affliction.^(BE)
22 See, God is exalted in his power;
    who is a teacher like him?
²³ Who has prescribed for him his way,
    or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’?^(BF)

37 “At this also my heart trembles
    and leaps out of its place.
² Listen, listen to the thunder of his voice
    and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.^(BN)
3 Under the whole heaven he lets it loose,
    and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
⁴ After it his voice roars;
    he thunders with his majestic voice,
    and he does not restrain the lightnings^[m] when his voice is heard.^(BO)
5 God thunders wondrously with his voice;
    he does great things that we cannot comprehend.^(BP)
6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth’;
    and the shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain,^(BQ)
7 serves as a sign on everyone’s hand,
    so that all whom he has made may know it.^[n](BR)
8 Then the animals go into their lairs
    and remain in their dens.^(BS)
9 From its chamber comes the whirlwind
    and cold from the scattering winds.^(BT)
10 By the breath of God ice is given,
    and the broad waters are frozen fast.^(BU)
11 He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
    the clouds scatter his lightning.^(BV)
12 They turn round and round by his guidance
    to accomplish all that he commands them
    on the face of the habitable world.^(BW)
13 Whether for correction or for his land
    or for love, he causes it to happen.^(BX)

¹⁴ “Hear this, O Job;
    stop and consider the wondrous works of God.^(BY)
15 Do you know how God lays his command upon them
    and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
¹⁶ Do you know the balancings of the clouds,
    the wondrous works of the one whose knowledge is perfect,^(BZ)
17 you whose garments are hot
    when the earth is still because of the south wind?
¹⁸ Can you, like him, spread out the skies,
    hard as a molten mirror?^(CA)
19 Teach us what we shall say to him;
    we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.
²⁰ Should he be told that I want to speak?
    Did anyone ever wish to be swallowed up?
²¹ Now, no one can look on the light
    when it is bright in the skies,
    when the wind has passed and cleared them.
²² Out of the north comes golden splendor;
    around God is awesome majesty.
²³ The Almighty^[o]—we cannot find him;
    he is great in power and justice,
    and abundant righteousness he will not violate.^(CB)
24 Therefore mortals fear him;
    he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”^(CC)