Job 34
1 After proclaiming these things, Eliu now had this to say:
And Elihu made answer and said,
2 May the wise hear my words, and may the educated listen to me.
Give ear, you wise, to my words; and you who have knowledge, give attention to me;
3 For the ear examines words, and the mouth discerns foods by the taste.
For words are tested by the ear, as food is tasted by the mouth.
4 Let us choose judgment for ourselves, and let us consider among ourselves what is best.
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 just, yet God has subverted my judgment.
For Job has said, I am upright, and it is God who has taken away my right;
6 For, within my judgment, there is a lie: my vehement barbs are without any sin.”
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 there that is like Job, who drinks up derision as if it were water,
What man is like Job, a man who freely makes sport of God,
8 who accompanies those who work iniquity, and who walks with impious men?
And goes in the company of evil-doers, walking in the way of sinners?
9 For he has said, “Man will not please God, even if he should travel with him.”
For he has said, It is no profit to a man to take delight in God.
10 Therefore, prudent men, hear me: impiety is far from God, and iniquity is far from 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 he will restore to man his works, and according to the ways of each, he will repay them.
For he gives to every man the reward of his work, and sees that he gets the fruit of his ways.
12 For truly, God will not condemn in vain, nor will the Almighty repudiate judgment.
Truly, God does not do evil, and the Ruler of all is not a false judge.
13 What other is established over the earth? Or whom has he placed over the world, which he made?
Who put the earth into his care, or made him responsible for the world?
14 But, if he directs his heart towards him, he will draw his spirit and breath to himself.
If he made his spirit come back to him, taking his breath into himself again,
15 All flesh will fail together, and man will return to ashes.
All flesh would come to an end together, and man would go back to the dust.
16 Therefore, if you have understanding, hear what is said, and heed the sound of my eloquence.
If you are wise, take note of this; give ear to the voice of my words.
17 Is he that does not love judgment able to be corrected? And how can you so greatly condemn him who is just?
How may a hater of right be a ruler? and will you say that the upright Ruler of all is evil?
18 He says to the king, “You are an apostate.” He calls commanders impious.
He who says to a king, You are an evil-doer; and to rulers, You are sinners;
19 He does not accept the reputation of leaders; nor does he recognize the tyrant as he contends against the poor. For 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 They will die suddenly, and the people will be troubled in the middle of the night, but they will pass through it, and the violent will be taken away without a 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 men, and he examines all of their steps.
For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.
22 There is no darkness and no shadow of death, where those who work iniquity may be hidden.
There is no dark place, and no thick cloud, in which the workers of evil may take cover.
23 For it is no longer within the power of man to enter into judgment with God.
For he does not give man a fixed time to come before him to be judged.
24 He will break into many innumerable pieces, and he will cause others to stand up in their place.
He sends the strong to destruction without searching out their cause, and puts others in their place.
25 For he knows their works, and, as a result, he will bring the night, and they will be crushed.
For he has knowledge of their works, overturning them in the night, so that they are crushed.
26 Just as the impious do, he has struck them in a place where they can be seen.
The evil-doers are broken by his wrath, he puts his hand on them with force before the eyes of all onlookers.
27 They, as if with great diligence, have withdrawn from him, and they refused to understand all his ways,
Because they did not go after him, and took no note of his ways,
28 so that they caused the outcry of the needy to reach him, and he heard the voice of the poor.
So that the cry of the poor might come up to him, and the prayer of those in need come to his ears.
29 For, when he grants peace, who is there that can condemn? When he hides his face, who is there that can contemplate him, either among the nations, or among all men?
30 He causes a hypocritical man to reign because of the sins of the people.
31 Therefore, since I have been speaking about God, I will not prevent you from doing the same.
32 If I have erred, you may teach me; if I have spoken unfairly, I will add no more.
33 Does God require this of you because it is displeasing to you? For you were the first to speak, and not I. But if you know something better, speak.
34 Let men of understanding speak to me, and let a wise man listen to me.
Men of knowledge, and all wise men, hearing me, will say,
35 But Job has been speaking foolishly, and his words contain unsound teaching.
Job's words do not come from knowledge; they are not the fruit of wisdom.
36 My father, let Job be tested even to the end; may you not retreat from a man of iniquity.
May Job be tested to the end, because his answers have been like those of evil men.
37 For he adds blasphemy on top of his sins; nevertheless, let him be constrained to be among us, and then let him provoke God to judgment with his speeches.
For in addition to his sin, he is uncontrolled in heart; before our eyes he makes sport of God, increasing his words against him.
