Job 34
1 Moreover Elihu answered, and said,
And Elihu made answer and said,
2 Hear my words, ye wise men, and give ear to me, ye who have knowledge.
Give ear, you wise, to my words; and you who have knowledge, give attention to me;
3 For the ear tries words as the palate tastes food.
For words are tested by the ear, as food is tasted by the mouth.
4 Let us choose for us that which is right. Let us know among ourselves what is good.
Let us make the decision for ourselves as to what is right; let us have the knowledge among ourselves of what is good.
5 For Job has said, I am righteous, and God has taken away my right.
For Job has said, I am upright, and it is God who has taken away my right;
6 Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar. My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.
Though I am right, still I am in pain; my wound may not be made well, though I have done no wrong.
7 What man is like Job, who drinks up scorning like water,
What man is like Job, a man who freely makes sport of God,
8 saying, I have not sinned, nor committed unrighteousness, nor had fellowship with workers of iniquity to go with the profane.
And goes in the company of evil-doers, walking in the way of sinners?
9 For thou should not say, There shall be no visitation to a man, whereas visitation is to him from the Lord.
For he has said, It is no profit to a man to take delight in God.
10 Therefore hearken to me, ye men of understanding. Far be it from me to sin before the Lord, and pervert righteousness before the Almighty.
Now then, you wise, take note; you men of knowledge, give ear to me. Let it be far from God to do evil, and from the Ruler of all to do wrong.
11 For the work of a man he will render to him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
For he gives to every man the reward of his work, and sees that he gets the fruit of his ways.
12 Yea, certainly God will not do wrong. Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
Truly, God does not do evil, and the Ruler of all is not a false judge.
13 Who gave him a charge over the earth? Or who has disposed the whole world?
Who put the earth into his care, or made him responsible for the world?
14 If he sets his heart upon himself, if he gathers his spirit and his breath to himself,
If he made his spirit come back to him, taking his breath into himself again,
15 all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again to dust.
All flesh would come to an end together, and man would go back to the dust.
16 If now thou be understanding, hear this. Hearken to the voice of words.
If you are wise, take note of this; give ear to the voice of my words.
17 Behold thou him who hates lawlessness, and who destroys evil men, who is forever righteousness,
How may a hater of right be a ruler? and will you say that the upright Ruler of all is evil?
18 him who says to a king, Thou are vile, to ranking men, Ye are wicked,
He who says to a king, You are an evil-doer; and to rulers, You are sinners;
19 who does not respect the persons of rulers, nor regards the rich more than the poor. For they all are the work of his hands.
Who has no respect for rulers, and who gives no more attention to those who have wealth than to the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.
20 In a moment they die, even at midnight. The people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away without hand.
Suddenly they come to an end, even in the middle of the night: the blow comes on the men of wealth, and they are gone, and the strong are taken away without the hand of man.
21 For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, and he sees all his goings.
For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.
22 There is no darkness, nor thick gloom where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
There is no dark place, and no thick cloud, in which the workers of evil may take cover.
23 For he needs no further to consider a man, that he should go before God in judgment.
For he does not give man a fixed time to come before him to be judged.
24 He breaks in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out, and sets others in their stead.
He sends the strong to destruction without searching out their cause, and puts others in their place.
25 Therefore he takes knowledge of their works, and he overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
For he has knowledge of their works, overturning them in the night, so that they are crushed.
26 He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others
The evil-doers are broken by his wrath, he puts his hand on them with force before the eyes of all onlookers.
27 because they turned aside from following him, and would not have regard in any of his ways,
Because they did not go after him, and took no note of his ways,
28 so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted.
So that the cry of the poor might come up to him, and the prayer of those in need come to his ears.
29 When he gives quietness, who then can condemn? And when he hides his face, who then can behold him? It is the same whether to a nation, or to a man,
30 that the profane man not reign, that there be none to ensnare the people.
31 For has any said to God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more.
32 Teach thou me that which I do not see. If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?
33 Shall his recompense be as thou desire, that thou refuse it? For thou must choose, and not I. Therefore speak what thou know.
34 Men of understanding will say to me, yes, every wise man who hears me,
Men of knowledge, and all wise men, hearing me, will say,
35 Job speaks without knowledge, and his words are without wisdom.
Job's words do not come from knowledge; they are not the fruit of wisdom.
36 But surely not. Learn thou Job not to still give an answer like the foolish,
May Job be tested to the end, because his answers have been like those of evil men.
37 so that we may not add to our sins, and lawlessness will be reckoned against us, speaking many words before the Lord.
For in addition to his sin, he is uncontrolled in heart; before our eyes he makes sport of God, increasing his words against him.
