Job 34
1 Moreouer Elihu answered, and saide,
Then Elihu continued:
2 Heare my wordes, ye wise men, and hearken vnto me, ye that haue knowledge.
“You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
3 For the eare tryeth the words, as the mouth tasteth meate.
When we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good].
4 Let vs seeke iudgement among vs, and let vs knowe among our selues what is good.
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 For Iob hath saide, I am righteous, and God hath taken away my iudgement.
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 Should I lye in my right? my wound of the arrowe is grieuous without my sinne.
Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
7 What man is like Iob, that drinketh scornfulnesse like water?
(Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
8 Which goeth in the companie of them that worke iniquitie, and walketh with wicked men?
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 For he hath saide, It profiteth a man nothing that he should walke with God.
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 Therefore hearken vnto me, ye men of wisedome, God forbid that wickednesse should be in God, and iniquitie in the Almightie.
“So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
11 For he will render vnto man according to his worke, and cause euery one to finde according to his way.
He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
12 And certainely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almightie peruert iudgement.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Whome hath he appointed ouer the earth beside him selfe? or who hath placed the whole worlde?
The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
14 If he set his heart vpon man, and gather vnto him selfe his spirit and his breath,
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 All flesh shall perish together, and man shall returne vnto dust.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 And if thou hast vnderstanding, heare this and hearken to the voyce of my wordes.
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 Shal he that hateth iudgement, gouerne? and wilt thou iudge him wicked that is most iust?
God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
18 Wilt thou say vnto a King, Thou art wicked? or to princes, Ye are vngodly?
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 How much lesse to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, and regardeth not the rich, more then the poore? for they be all the worke of his handes.
He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
20 They shall die suddenly, and the people shalbe troubled at midnight, and they shall passe foorth and take away the mightie without hand.
People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
21 For his eyes are vpon the wayes of man, and he seeth all his goings.
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 There is no darkenesse nor shadowe of death, that the workers of iniquitie might be hid therein.
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 For he will not lay on man so much, that he should enter into iudgement with God.
God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
24 He shall breake the mightie without seeking, and shall set vp other in their stead.
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 Therefore shall he declare their works: he shall turne the night, and they shalbe destroyed.
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 He striketh them as wicked men in the places of the seers,
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 Because they haue turned backe from him, and would not consider all his wayes:
he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
28 So that they haue caused the voyce of the poore to come vnto him, and he hath heard the cry of the afflicted.
They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
29 And when he giueth quietnesse, who can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who can beholde him, whether it be vpon nations, or vpon a man onely?
But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
30 Because the hypocrite doeth reigne, and because the people are snared.
and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
31 Surely it appertaineth vnto God to say, I haue pardoned, I will not destroy.
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 But if I see not, teach thou me: if I haue done wickedly, I will doe no more.
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 Wil he performe the thing through thee? for thou hast reproued it, because that thou hast chosen, and not I. now speake what thou knowest.
[Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
34 Let men of vnderstanding tell me, and let a wise man hearken vnto me.
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 Iob hath not spoken of knowledge, neyther were his wordes according to wisedome.
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 I desire that Iob may be tryed, vnto the ende touching the answeres for wicked men.
I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
37 For he addeth rebellion vnto his sinne: he clappeth his handes among vs, and multiplieth his wordes against God.
To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
