Job 34-36

New Life Version

Elihu Keeps On Speaking

34 Then Elihu said, ² “Hear my words, you wise men. Listen to me, you who know. ³ For the ear tests words as the mouth tastes food. ⁴ Let us choose for ourselves what is right. Let us know among ourselves what is good. ⁵ For Job has said, ‘I am right and good, but God has taken away my right. ⁶ Would I lie about my right? I have been hurt so that I cannot be healed, but I have done no wrong.’ ⁷ What man is like Job, who drinks up words against him like water? ⁸ He goes among those who do wrong, and walks with sinful men. ⁹ For he has said, ‘A man gets nothing by trying to please God.’

¹⁰ “So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do what is sinful, and from the All-powerful to do wrong. ¹¹ For He pays a man by the work he does. He will see that a man is paid for what he does. ¹² For sure God will not do wrong. The All-powerful will not turn what is right into sin. ¹³ Who gave Him the power over the earth? Who gave Him the whole world to take care of? ¹⁴ If He should take back His spirit and His breath, ¹⁵ all flesh would die together, and man would return to dust.

¹⁶ “If you have understanding, hear this. Listen to what I say. ¹⁷ Should one who hates what is right be the one to rule? Will you say that He Who is right and good and strong is guilty? ¹⁸ Who says to a king, ‘You are of no worth,’ and to rulers, ‘You are sinful’? ¹⁹ Who shows no favor to princes, or thinks of the rich as more important than the poor? They are all the work of His hands. ²⁰ In a short time they die. At midnight the people are shaken and pass away. And the powerful are taken away by no human hand.

²¹ “For God’s eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps. ²² There is no darkness or shadow where sinners can hide themselves. ²³ For God does not need to set a time for man to go before Him and be judged. ²⁴ He breaks powerful men in pieces without asking any reason, and puts others in their place. ²⁵ For He knows their works. He puts them down in the night, and they are crushed. ²⁶ God punishes them for their sin where everyone can see them. ²⁷ Because they turned aside from following Him. They did not care about any of His ways. ²⁸ So they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him. And He heard the cry of those in need. ²⁹ When He keeps quiet, who can say He is wrong? When He hides His face, who can see Him? But He is over both nation and man. ³⁰ So men without God should not rule and should not be a trap for the people.

³¹ “For has any one said to God, ‘I have suffered punishment, and will not cause any more trouble? ³² Teach me what I cannot see. If I have sinned, I will do it no more’? ³³ Will God ask what you want to do, when you will not do what He says? You must decide, and not I. So tell what you know. ³⁴ Men of understanding will say to me, and wise men who hear me say, ³⁵ ‘Job speaks without much learning. His words are without wisdom. ³⁶ Job should be tried to the end, because he answers like sinful men. ³⁷ To his sin he adds a strong will against God. Making fun he claps his hands among us, and speaks many words against God.’”

Elihu Keeps On Talking

35 Then Elihu said, ² “Do you think this is right? Do you say, ‘I am more right than God’? ³ For you ask, ‘What will You get by it? How will it be better for me than if I had sinned?’ ⁴ I will answer you, and your friends with you. ⁵ Look at the heavens and see. See the clouds which are higher than you. ⁶ If you have sinned, what does that do to God? If you have done many wrongs, what does that do to Him? ⁷ If you are right and good, what do you give to Him? What does He receive from you? ⁸ Your wrong-doing may hurt another man and your being right and good may help him.

⁹ “People cry out because of their many hard times. They cry for help because of the arm of the powerful. ¹⁰ But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, ¹¹ Who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’ ¹² There they cry out, but He does not answer because of the pride of sinful men. ¹³ For sure God will not listen to an empty cry. The All-powerful will not do anything about it. ¹⁴ How much less when you say you do not see Him, that your trial is before Him, and you must wait for Him! ¹⁵ And now, because God has not punished in His anger, and does not watch for sin, ¹⁶ Job opens his mouth with empty talk. He speaks many words without much learning.”

Elihu Keeps On Speaking

36 Then Elihu spoke more and said, ² “Wait for me a little longer, and I will show you that there is yet more to be said for God. ³ I bring my learning from far away, and will tell how right and good my Maker is. ⁴ For sure my words are not false. One who is perfect in much learning is with you.

⁵ “See, God is powerful, but does not hate anyone. He is powerful in strength of understanding. ⁶ He does not keep the sinful alive, but gives what is right and fair to those who are troubled. ⁷ He does not turn His eyes away from those who are right with Him. He puts them on the throne with kings and they are honored forever. ⁸ If they are tied up in chains and caught in the ropes of trouble, ⁹ then He makes known to them their work and their sins, that they have shown pride. ¹⁰ He makes them listen to teaching, and tells them to turn away from sin. ¹¹ If they hear and serve Him, the rest of their days will be filled with what they need and their years with peace. ¹² But if they do not hear, they will die by the sword. They will die without learning.

¹³ “But those who do not know God keep anger in their heart. They do not cry for help when He puts them in chains. ¹⁴ They die when they are young. And their life ends among those who sell the use of their bodies in the houses of the false gods. ¹⁵ He takes those who suffer out of their suffering. He speaks to them in times of trouble. ¹⁶ He led you from being close to trouble to a wide place where you were free with your table full of food.

¹⁷ “But you wanted to punish the sinful. Punishment and being fair have taken hold of you. ¹⁸ Be careful or anger will tempt you to laugh at the truth. Do not take pay in secret for wrong-doing and be turned aside. ¹⁹ Will your riches or all your power keep you from trouble? ²⁰ Do not desire the night, when people are taken from their place. ²¹ Be careful, do not turn to sin. For you have chosen this instead of suffering. ²² See, God is honored in His power. Who is a teacher like Him? ²³ Who has told Him the way He should go? And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?

²⁴ “Remember that you should honor His work, of which men have sung. ²⁵ All men have seen it. Man sees it from far away. ²⁶ See, God is honored, and we do not know Him. We are not able to know the number of His years. ²⁷ For He takes up the drops of water that become rain, ²⁸ which the clouds pour down. Much rain falls on man. ²⁹ Can anyone understand how the clouds are spread out, or how He thunders from His tent? ³⁰ See, He spreads His lightning around Him and covers the bottom of the sea. ³¹ For by these He judges the people and He gives much food. ³² He covers His hands with the lightning, and tells it to hit the mark. ³³ His thunder tells of a storm coming, and cattle also know it is coming.