Job 34
1 And Elihu answers and says:
Moreover Elihu answered, and said,
2 “Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me.
Hear my words, ye wise men, and give ear to me, ye who have knowledge.
3 For the ear tries words, And the palate tastes to eat.
For the ear tries words as the palate tastes food.
4 Let us choose judgment for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what [is] good.
Let us choose for us that which is right. Let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job has said, I have been righteous, And God has turned aside my right,
For Job has said, I am righteous, and God has taken away my right.
6 Against my right do I lie? My arrow [is] mortal—without transgression.
Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar. My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.
7 Who [is] a man like Job? He drinks scoffing like water,
What man is like Job, who drinks up scorning like water,
8 And he has traveled for company With workers of iniquity, So as to go with men of wickedness.
saying, I have not sinned, nor committed unrighteousness, nor had fellowship with workers of iniquity to go with the profane.
9 For he has said, It does not profit a man When he delights himself with God.
For thou should not say, There shall be no visitation to a man, whereas visitation is to him from the Lord.
10 Therefore, O men of heart, listen to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And [from] the Mighty to do perverseness,
Therefore hearken to me, ye men of understanding. Far be it from me to sin before the Lord, and pervert righteousness before the Almighty.
11 For He repays the work of man to him, And according to the path of each He causes him to find.
For the work of a man he will render to him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
12 Indeed, truly, God does not do wickedly, And the Mighty does not pervert judgment.
Yea, certainly God will not do wrong. Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
13 Who has inspected for Himself the earth? And who has placed all the habitable world?
Who gave him a charge over the earth? Or who has disposed the whole world?
14 If He sets His heart on him, [If] He gathers His Spirit and His breath to Himself,
If he sets his heart upon himself, if he gathers his spirit and his breath to himself,
15 All flesh expires together, And man returns to dust.
all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again to dust.
16 And if [there is] understanding, hear this, Give ear to the voice of my words.
If now thou be understanding, hear this. Hearken to the voice of words.
17 Indeed, does one hating justice govern? Or do you condemn the Most Just?
Behold thou him who hates lawlessness, and who destroys evil men, who is forever righteousness,
18 Who has said to a king, Worthless, To princes, Wicked?
him who says to a king, Thou are vile, to ranking men, Ye are wicked,
19 That has not accepted the person of princes, Nor has known the rich before the poor, For all of them [are] a work of His hands.
who does not respect the persons of rulers, nor regards the rich more than the poor. For they all are the work of his hands.
20 [In] a moment they die, And at midnight people shake, And they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand.
In a moment they die, even at midnight. The people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away without hand.
21 For His eyes [are] on the ways of each, And He sees all his steps.
For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, and he sees all his goings.
22 There is no darkness nor death-shade, For workers of iniquity to be hidden there;
There is no darkness, nor thick gloom where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 For He does not permit man anymore, To go to God in judgment,
For he needs no further to consider a man, that he should go before God in judgment.
24 He breaks the mighty—no searching! And He appoints others in their stead.
He breaks in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out, and sets others in their stead.
25 Therefore He knows their works, And He has overturned by night, And they are bruised.
Therefore he takes knowledge of their works, and he overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
26 As wicked He has struck them, In the place of beholders.
He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others
27 Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And have considered none of His ways,
because they turned aside from following him, and would not have regard in any of his ways,
28 To cause to come to Him The cry of the poor, And He hears the cry of the afflicted.
so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted.
29 And He gives rest, and who makes wrong? And hides the face, and who beholds it? And in reference to a nation and to a man, [It is] the same.
When he gives quietness, who then can condemn? And when he hides his face, who then can behold him? It is the same whether to a nation, or to a man,
30 From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;
that the profane man not reign, that there be none to ensnare the people.
31 For has any said to God: I have taken away, I do not do corruptly,
For has any said to God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more.
32 Besides [that which] I see, You show me, If I have done iniquity—I do not add?
Teach thou me that which I do not see. If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?
33 Does He repay by you, that you have refused—That you choose, and not I? And what you have known, speak.
Shall his recompense be as thou desire, that thou refuse it? For thou must choose, and not I. Therefore speak what thou know.
34 Let men of heart say to me, And a wise man is listening to me:
Men of understanding will say to me, yes, every wise man who hears me,
35 Job—he does not speak with knowledge, And his words [are] not with wisdom.
Job speaks without knowledge, and his words are without wisdom.
36 My Father! Let Job be tried—to victory, Because of answers for men of iniquity,
But surely not. Learn thou Job not to still give an answer like the foolish,
37 For he adds to his sin, He vomits transgression among us, And multiplies his sayings to God.”
so that we may not add to our sins, and lawlessness will be reckoned against us, speaking many words before the Lord.
