Job 34
1 And Elihu made answer and said,
Then Elihu continued,
2 Give ear, you wise, to my words; and you who have knowledge, give attention to me;
“Listen to my words, you men who say you are wise; pay attention to what I'm saying you who think you know.
3 For words are tested by the ear, as food is tasted by the mouth.
The ear distinguishes words just as the palate distinguishes foods.
4 Let us make the decision for ourselves as to what is right; let us have the knowledge among ourselves of what is good.
Let us discern for ourselves what is right: let us decide among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job has said, I am upright, and it is God who has taken away my right;
Job said, ‘I am innocent, and God has denied me justice.
6 Though I am right, still I am in pain; my wound may not be made well, though I have done no wrong.
Even though I'm right, I'm treated like a liar; I am dying from my wounds, even though I've done nothing wrong.’
7 What man is like Job, a man who freely makes sport of God,
Has there ever been a man like Job with such a thirst for ridiculing others?
8 And goes in the company of evil-doers, walking in the way of sinners?
He keeps company with wicked people; he associates with those who do evil.
9 For he has said, It is no profit to a man to take delight in God.
He's even said, ‘What benefit is there in being God's friend?’
10 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.
So listen to me, you men of understanding! It's impossible for God to do evil and the Almighty to do wrong.
11 For he gives to every man the reward of his work, and sees that he gets the fruit of his ways.
He pays people back for what they've done, and treats them as they deserve.
12 Truly, God does not do evil, and the Ruler of all is not a false judge.
It's absolutely sure that God doesn't act wickedly; the Almighty would never pervert justice.
13 Who put the earth into his care, or made him responsible for the world?
Who put him in charge of the earth? Who gave him the responsibility for all the world?
14 If he made his spirit come back to him, taking his breath into himself again,
If he were to withdraw his spirit, if he were to take back his breath,
15 All flesh would come to an end together, and man would go back to the dust.
all living things would immediately die and human beings would return to dust.
16 If you are wise, take note of this; give ear to the voice of my words.
If you have understanding then hear this; pay attention to what I'm saying.
17 How may a hater of right be a ruler? and will you say that the upright Ruler of all is evil?
Do you really think someone who hated justice could govern? Are you going to condemn Almighty God who always does what is right?
18 He who says to a king, You are an evil-doer; and to rulers, You are sinners;
He's the one who tells kings, ‘You're useless!’ or says to nobles, ‘You're wicked!’
19 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.
He doesn't think more of the rich than the poor, for they are all people he himself made.
20 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.
They die in a moment; at midnight they shudder and pass away; the mighty are gone without effort.
21 For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.
For he watches what they're doing and sees everywhere they go.
22 There is no dark place, and no thick cloud, in which the workers of evil may take cover.
There is no darkness so deep where people who do evil can hide themselves from him.
23 For he does not give man a fixed time to come before him to be judged.
God doesn't need to examine anyone in any greater detail that they should come before him for judgment.
24 He sends the strong to destruction without searching out their cause, and puts others in their place.
He brings down the mighty without needing an investigation; he sets up others in their place.
25 For he has knowledge of their works, overturning them in the night, so that they are crushed.
Knowing what they've done he overthrows them in a night and destroys them.
26 The evil-doers are broken by his wrath, he puts his hand on them with force before the eyes of all onlookers.
He strikes them down for their wickedness in public where they can be seen
27 Because they did not go after him, and took no note of his ways,
because they turned away from following him, disregarding all his ways.
28 So that the cry of the poor might come up to him, and the prayer of those in need come to his ears.
They made the poor call out to him, and he heard the cries of the oppressed.
Yet if God wants to remain silent, who can condemn him? If he chooses to hide his face, who can see him? Whether it concerns a nation or an individual,
a person who rejects God should not rule so they don't mislead people.
If you were to say to God, ‘I have sinned, but I won't do bad things any more.
Show me what I cannot see. If I have done wrong, I won't do it again,’
then should God reward you for following your own opinions since you have rejected his? You're the one who has to choose, not me! Tell us what you think.
34 Men of knowledge, and all wise men, hearing me, will say,
For people who understand—those who are wise who have heard what I said—will tell me,
35 Job's words do not come from knowledge; they are not the fruit of wisdom.
‘Job doesn't know what he's talking about. What he says doesn't make any sense.’
36 May Job be tested to the end, because his answers have been like those of evil men.
If only Job were thoroughly condemned because he speaks like evil people do.
37 For in addition to his sin, he is uncontrolled in heart; before our eyes he makes sport of God, increasing his words against him.
Now he has added rebellion to his sins; he claps his hands at us, making long speeches full of accusations against God.”
