Job 35

1 Elihu spake moreover, and said,

And Elius resumed and said,

2 Thinkest thou this to be right, [that] thou saidst, My righteousness [is] more than God’s?

What is this that thou thinkest to be according to right? who art thou that thou hast said, I am righteous before the Lord?

3 For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? [and], What profit shall I have, [if I be cleansed] from my sin?

I will answer thee, and thy three friends.

4 I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.

Look up to the sky and see; and consider the clouds, how high [they are] above thee.

5 Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds [which] are higher than thou.

If thou hast sinned, what wilt thou do?

6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or [if] thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

and if too thou hast transgressed much, what canst thou perform?

7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?

And suppose thou art righteous, what wilt thou give him? or what shall he receive of thy hand?

8 Thy wickedness [may hurt] a man as thou [art; ] and thy righteousness [may profit] the son of man.

Thy ungodliness [may affect] a man who is like to thee; or thy righteousness a son of man.

9 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make [the oppressed] to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.

They that are oppressed of a multitude will be ready to cry out; they will call for help because of the arm of many.

10 But none saith, Where [is] God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;

But none said, Where is God that made me, who appoints the night-watches;

11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?

who makes me to differ from the four-footed beasts of the earth, and from the birds of the sky?

12 There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.

There they shall cry, and none shall hearken, even because of the insolence of wicked men.

13 Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

For the Lord desires not to look on error, for he is the Almighty One.

14 Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, [yet] judgment [is] before him; therefore trust thou in him.

He beholds them that perform lawless deeds, and he will save me: and do thou plead before him, if thou canst praise him, as it is [possible] even now.

15 But now, because [it is] not [so], he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth [it] not in great extremity:

For he is not [now] regarding his wrath, nor has he noticed severely any trespass.

16 Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.

Yet Job vainly opens his mouth, in ignorance he multiplies words.