Job 35

1 Then Elihu continued, saying,

And Elihu answereth and saith: —

2 “Do you think it's honest to claim you are right before God?

This hast thou reckoned for judgment: Thou hast said — 'My righteousness [is] more than God's?'

3 And you ask, ‘What benefit do I get? What good has it done me by not sinning?’

For thou sayest, 'What doth it profit Thee! What do I profit from my sin?'

4 I'll tell you, and your friends too!

I return thee words, and thy friends with thee,

5 Just look up at the sky and see. Observe the clouds high above you.

Behold attentively the heavens — and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than thou.

6 If you sin, how does that harm God? How do your many sins affect God?

If thou hast sinned, what dost thou against Him? And thy transgressions have been multiplied, What dost thou to Him?

7 If you do what's right, what good are you doing for him?

If thou hast been righteous, What dost thou give to Him? Or what from thy hand doth He receive?

8 No—your sins only affect people like yourself, and whatever good you do only affects them too.

For a man like thyself [is] thy wickedness, And for a son of man thy righteousness.

9 People cry out because of terrible persecution; they call for someone to save them from their oppressors.

Because of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.

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

And none said, 'Where [is] God my maker? Giving songs in the night,

11 who teaches us more than the animals, and makes us wiser than the birds?’

Teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.'

12 When they call out for help, God doesn't answer because they are proud and evil people.

There they cry, and He doth not answer, Because of the pride of evil doers.

13 God doesn't listen to their empty cries; the Almighty doesn't pay them any attention.

Surely vanity God doth not hear, And the Mighty doth not behold it.

14 How much less will God hear you when you say he can't see you? Your case is before him, so you have to wait for him.

Yea, though thou sayest thou dost not behold Him, Judgment [is] before Him, and stay for Him.

15 You're saying that God doesn't punish people in his anger and pays little attention to sin.

And, now, because there is not, He hath appointed His anger, And He hath not known in great extremity.

16 You, Job, are talking nonsense, making long speeches when you know nothing!”

And Job [with] vanity doth open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.