Job 36
1 Elihu also proceeded, and said:
Elihu [finished by] saying this:
2 Suffer me a little, and I will tell thee; for there are yet words on God's behalf.
“[Job, ] be patient with me a little longer, because I have something else to teach you. I have something else to say that God [wants you to know].
3 I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
I will tell you what I have learned from many sources, in order to show that God, my creator, is just/fair.
4 For truly my words are not false; one that is upright in mind is with thee.
I am not saying anything to you that is false; I, who am standing in front of you, am someone who understands things (very well/perfectly) [HYP].
5 Behold, God is mighty, yet He despiseth not any; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
“Hey, God is [very] powerful, and he does not despise anyone, and he understands everything.
6 He preserveth not the life of the wicked; but giveth to the poor their right.
He does not allow wicked people to remain alive, and he always acts justly toward those who are poor.
7 He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous; but with kings upon the throne He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted.
He always watches over [MTY] those who are righteous; he allows them to sit on thrones [and rule] with kings, and they are honored forever.
8 And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction;
But if people [who commit crimes] are caught, they [are thrown into prison and] are caused to suffer by being fastened with chains.
9 Then He declareth unto them their work, and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.
When that happens, God shows them what they have done; he shows them the sins that they have committed, and he shows them that they have been proud/arrogant.
10 He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.
He causes them to listen [MTY] to what he is warning them, and he commands them to turn away from [doing what is] evil.
11 If they hearken and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
If they (listen to/heed) him and serve him, [after they get out of prison] they will prosper for all the years that they are alive and be peaceful/happy.
12 But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.
But if they do not (listen/pay attention) to him, they will die violently, not knowing [why God is causing them to die].
13 But they that are godless in heart lay up anger; they cry not for help when He bindeth them.
“Godless/Wicked people continue being angry, and they do not cry out for help, [even] when God is punishing them.
14 Their soul perisheth in youth, and their life as that of the depraved.
They die while they are still young, disgraced because of their very immoral behavior [EUP].
15 He delivereth the afflicted by His affliction, and openeth their ear by tribulation.
But God teaches people by causing them to suffer; by afflicting them, he causes them to listen to [MTY] what he is telling them.
16 Yea, He hath allured thee out of distress into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which is set on thy table is full of fatness;
“And Job, [I think that] God [wants to] bring you out of your troubles and allow you to live without distress; he wants your table to be full of very nice food.
17 And thou art full of the judgment of the wicked; judgment and justice take hold on them.
But now, you are being punished [MTY] as wicked people are punished; [God] [PRS] has been punishing you (justly/as you deserve).
18 For beware of wrath, lest thou be led away by thy sufficiency; neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside.
So be careful that you are not deceived by [desiring to acquire] money or that you are not ruined by [accepting] large bribes.
19 Will thy riches avail, that are without stint, or all the forces of thy strength?
[If you are deceived by those things, ] it certainly will not [RHQ] help you to cry out when you are distressed; all of your strength will not help you.
20 Desire not the night, when peoples are cut off in their place.
Do not wish that it would be nighttime [in order that God will not see you and punish you], because night is the time when [even] people-groups are destroyed!
21 Take heed, regard not iniquity; for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
Be careful not to [begin doing] evil things, because [God] has caused you to suffer to prevent you from doing evil.
22 Behold, God doeth loftily in His power; who is a teacher like Him?
“Hey, God is extremely powerful; there is certainly [RHQ] no teacher who teaches like he does.
23 Who hath enjoined Him His way? Or who hath said: 'Thou hast wrought unrighteousness'?
No one has [RHQ] told him what he should do, and no one has [RHQ] said to him, ‘You have done what is wrong!’
24 Remember that thou magnify His work, whereof men have sung.
People have [always] sung to praise him, so you also should never forget to praise him for what he has done.
25 All men have looked thereon; man beholdeth it afar off.
Everyone has seen [what he has done], but [sometimes] we can see it only from far away.
26 Behold, God is great, beyond our knowledge; the number of His years is unsearchable.
“Hey, God is very great, and we are not able to know how great he is, and we do not know how old he is.
27 For He draweth away the drops of water, which distil rain from His vapour;
He draws water up [from the earth and puts it in clouds] and causes it to become rain.
28 Which the skies pour down and drop upon the multitudes of men.
The rain pours down from the sky/clouds; God causes abundant showers to fall on everyone.
29 Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, the crashings of His pavilion?
No one can [RHQ] understand how the clouds move [across the sky] or how it thunders in the sky where God lives.
30 Behold, He spreadeth His light upon it; and He covereth the depths of the sea.
He causes lightning to flash all around him, but he causes the bottom of the oceans to remain dark.
31 For by these He judgeth the peoples; He giveth food in abundance.
By providing plenty of rain for us, he enables us to have abundant food.
32 He covereth His hands with the lightning, and giveth it a charge that it strike the mark.
[It is as though] he holds the lightning in his hands, and [then] he commands it to strike where he wants it to.
33 The noise thereof telleth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the storm that cometh up.
When we hear his thunder, we know that there will be a storm, and the cattle know it, too.”
