Job 35

1 And Elihu went on to say:

Then Elihu also said this:

2 “Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I am more righteous than God.’

“[Job, ] do you think that what you said is right/correct? You say, ‘God knows that I am innocent,’

3 For you ask, ‘What does it profit me, and what benefit do I gain apart from sin?’

and you say [to God], ‘What good have I received for not sinning? What benefit have I received from that?’ [DOU, RHQ]

4 I will reply to you and to your friends as well.

[Well, ] I will answer you, and I will answer your three friends, too.

5 Look to the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds high above you.

“[Job], look up at the sky; look at the clouds that are high above you and realize [that God is far above everything].

6 If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? If you multiply your transgressions, what do you do to Him?

If you have sinned, that does not [RHQ] harm God at all. If many times you do things that are wrong, that certainly does not [RHQ] affect him [DOU].

7 If you are righteous, what do you give Him, or what does He receive from your hand?

And if you are righteous, does that help God? No, he is not benefited by anything that you do [DOU].

8 Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only a son of man.

It is other people who suffer because of the wicked things that you do, but by doing good things for people, you help them.

9 Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.

“People cry out because of the many things that people do to others to (oppress them/treat them cruelly); they call for help because of the things that powerful people do [MTY] to them.

10 But no one asks, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives us songs in the night,

But (no one/none of them) calls out [to God], saying ‘Why does God, my creator, [not help me]? He [should] enable me to sing [joyful] songs, [instead of very sad songs, ] during the night.

11 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’

He [should be able to] teach us more than all the wild animals do; he [should] enable us to become wiser than [all] the birds are!’

12 There they cry out, but He does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.

People cry out [for help], but God does not answer them, because those who cry out are proud and evil people.

13 Surely God does not listen to empty pleas, and the Almighty does not take note of it.

It is useless for them to cry out, because God, the Almighty One, does not pay any attention to what they say.

14 How much less, then, when you say that you do not see Him, that your case is before Him and you must wait for Him,

So, when you complain that you cannot see God, and you tell him that you are waiting for him [to decide whether or not you should be punished for what you have done], God will not listen to you, either!

15 and further, that in His anger He has not punished or taken much notice of folly!

Furthermore, [you say that] because he does not pay attention when people commit sins, he does not become angry and punish them.

16 So Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge.”

You say things that are useless; you say a lot of things without knowing [what you are talking about].”