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Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said,

“I am young and you are old,
    so I held back from telling you what I think.
I thought, ‘Those who are older should speak,
    for wisdom comes with age.’
But there is a spirit[a] within people,
    the breath of the Almighty within them,
    that makes them intelligent.
Sometimes the elders are not wise.
    Sometimes the aged do not understand justice.

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Footnotes

  1. 32:8 Or Spirit; also in 32:18.

Barachel’s son Elihu from Buz responded and said:

“I’m younger than you are.
    Because you’re older,[a] I was terrified
        to tell you what I know.
I thought, experience[b] should speak;
    abundance of years teaches wisdom.
However, a spirit exists in mankind,
    and the Almighty’s breath gives him insight.”

There’s No Fool Like an Old Fool

“The aged aren’t always wise,
    nor do the elderly always understand justice.

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Footnotes

  1. Job 32:6 Lit. aged
  2. Job 32:7 Lit. days