Job 37
International Standard Version
Elihu Concludes His Argument
37 “Now I’ll conclude with this:
my heart is trembling violently;
it feels like it’s about to leap from my body!
2 Listen carefully to his thundering voice;
to the sound that rumbles from his mouth.
3 He releases his lightning throughout the sky,
to the ends[a] of the earth.
4 His thunder roars after it;
his majestic voice will thunder;
and no one can trace them[b]
once his voice has been heard.
5 “God thunders with his wondrous voice;
he does awesome works that we don’t comprehend.
6 For he says to the snow, ‘Fall to the earth.’
He tells the rain, ‘Pour down,’
then it rains profusely.
7 “He puts a limit to the skill[c] of every person;
to delineate all people from what they do.
8 “Then a beast enters its lair
and remains in its den.
9 “From the south,[d] a whirlwind proceeds,
out of the icy north winds.
10 From the breath of God ice is produced,
and a wide body of water is frozen.
11 He also loads the clouds with moisture,
scattering his lightning with the clouds.
12 It whirls about in circles at his direction
to accomplish all that he commands
throughout the surface of the entire world,
13 whether for discipline on his land
or to demonstrate his gracious love,
he causes it to be realized.”
Elihu Challenges Job to Pay Attention
14 “Pay attention to this, Job!
Stand still,
and consider the wondrous attributes of God.
15 Do you know how God ordains them,
and makes his lightning to flash throughout his clouds?
16 Do you understand his wondrous work of balancing the clouds,
the one[e] whose knowledge is perfect,
17 you whose garments are hot,
even though the land is cooled by a south wind?
18 Can you spread out the skies like he does;
can you cast them as one might a mirror?
19 Tell us! What are we to say to him?
Can we prepare our case to face him
when our faces are in darkness?
20 Has it been relayed to God[f] that I want to talk?
Can a person[g] speak when he is confused?”
God is Revered
21 “So then, the sun[h] is too bright to gaze at, is it not?
The sky is swept clean by the wind that blows,[i] is it not?
22 From the north he brings gold;
around God is awesome splendor.
23 We cannot find the Almighty—
he is majestic in power and justice,
and overflowing with righteousness;
he never oppresses.
24 Therefore humanity fears him,
which none of the wise[j] can quite comprehend.”
Job 37
Easy-to-Read Version
37 “The thunder and lightning frighten me;
my heart pounds in my chest.
2 Listen to God’s thundering voice!
Listen to the sound coming from his mouth.
3 He sends his lightning to flash across the whole sky.
It lights up the earth from one end to the other.
4 After the flashes of lightning you can hear his roaring voice.
He thunders with his wonderful voice!
And while his voice thunders, the lightning flashes continue.
5 God’s thundering voice is amazing!
He does great things that we cannot understand.
6 He says to the snow,
‘Fall on the earth.’
And he says to the rain,
‘Pour down on the earth.’
7 God does this to stop everyone’s work
and to show the people he made what he can do.
8 The animals run into their dens and stay there.
9 Whirlwinds come from the south.
The cold winds come from the north.
10 God’s breath makes ice
and freezes even large bodies of water.
11 He fills the clouds with water
and scatters his lightning through them.
12 He orders the clouds to be blown all around the earth.
The clouds do whatever he commands.
13 He causes the clouds to punish people with floods
or to water his earth and show his love.
14 “Job, stop for a minute and listen.
Think about the wonderful things God does.
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds?
Do you know how he makes his lightning flash?
16 Do you know how the clouds hang in the sky?
This is just one of the amazing works of the one who knows everything.
17 All you know is that you sweat, your clothes stick to you,
and all is still and quiet when the heat wave comes from the south.
18 Can you help God spread out the sky
and make it shine like polished brass?
19 “Job, tell us what we should say to God!
We cannot think of what to say because of our ignorance.[a]
20 I would not tell God that I wanted to talk to him.
That would be like asking to be destroyed.
21 A person cannot look at the sun.
It is too bright as it shines in the sky after the wind blows the clouds away.
22 In the same way God’s golden glory shines from the Holy Mountain.[b]
He is surrounded by the brightest light.
23 We have seen that God All-Powerful really is all powerful!
But he is just and never treats anyone unfairly.[c]
24 That is why people fear and respect him.
He shows no respect for those who think they are wise.”
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