Job 34

1 And Elihu answers and says:

Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:

2 “Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me.

“Listen to my words, you wise men; hear me, you 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 ourselves what is just: let us discover 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, but God has taken away my rights.

6 Against my right do I lie? My arrow [is] mortal—without transgression.

Regardless of my rights, I am considered to be a liar. My wound is incurable, although I am without sin.'

7 Who [is] a man like Job? He drinks scoffing like water,

What man is like Job, who drinks up mockery like water,

8 And he has traveled for company With workers of iniquity, So as to go with men of wickedness.

who goes around in the company of those who do evil, and who walks with wicked men?

9 For he has said, It does not profit a man When he delights himself with God.

For he has said, 'It is no use to a person to take pleasure in doing what God wants.'

10 Therefore, O men of heart, listen to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And [from] the Mighty to do perverseness,

So listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness; far be it from the Almighty that he should commit sin.

11 For He repays the work of man to him, And according to the path of each He causes him to find.

For he pays back a person's work; he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways.

12 Indeed, truly, God does not do wickedly, And the Mighty does not pervert judgment.

Indeed, God does nothing wicked, nor does the Almighty ever pervert justice.

13 Who has inspected for Himself the earth? And who has placed all the habitable world?

Who put him in charge over the earth? Who put the whole world under him?

14 If He sets His heart on him, [If] He gathers His Spirit and His breath to Himself,

If he ever set his intentions only on himself, and if he ever gathered back to himself his spirit and his breath,

15 All flesh expires together, And man returns to dust.

then all flesh would perish together; mankind would return to dust again.

16 And if [there is] understanding, hear this, Give ear to the voice of my words.

If now you have understanding, listen to this; listen to the sound of my words.

17 Indeed, does one hating justice govern? Or do you condemn the Most Just?

Can one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty?

18 Who has said to a king, Worthless, To princes, Wicked?

God, who says to a king, 'You are vile,' or says to nobles, 'You 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.

God, who does not show favoritism to leaders and does not acknowledge rich people more than 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 will die; at midnight people will be shaken and will pass away; mighty people will be taken away, but not by human hands.

21 For His eyes [are] on the ways of each, And He sees all his steps.

For God's eyes are upon a person's ways; he sees all his steps.

22 There is no darkness nor death-shade, For workers of iniquity to be hidden there;

There is no darkness, no thick gloom where the doers of iniquity may hide themselves.

23 For He does not permit man anymore, To go to God in judgment,

For God does not need to examine a person further; there is no need for any person to go before him in judgment.

24 He breaks the mighty—no searching! And He appoints others in their stead.

He breaks mighty men into pieces for their ways that need no further investigation; he puts others in their places.

25 Therefore He knows their works, And He has overturned by night, And they are bruised.

In this way he has knowledge of their deeds; he overthrows these people in the night; they are destroyed.

26 As wicked He has struck them, In the place of beholders.

In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals

27 Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And have considered none of His ways,

because they turned away from following him and refused to acknowledge any of his ways.

28 To cause to come to Him The cry of the poor, And He hears the cry of the afflicted.

In this way, they made the cry of poor people come to him; he heard the cry of afflicted people.

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 stays silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can perceive him? He rules over nation and individual alike,

30 From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;

so that a godless man may not rule, so that there may be no one to entrap people.

31 For has any said to God: I have taken away, I do not do corruptly,

Suppose someone says to God, 'I am certainly guilty, but I will not sin any longer;

32 Besides [that which] I see, You show me, If I have done iniquity—I do not add?

teach me what I cannot see; I have committed sin, but I will do it no longer.'

33 Does He repay by you, that you have refused—That you choose, and not I? And what you have known, speak.

Do you think that God will punish that person's sin, since you dislike what God does? You must choose, not I. So say what it is that you know.

34 Let men of heart say to me, And a wise man is listening to me:

Men of understanding will say to me— indeed, every wise man who hears me will say,

35 Job—he does not speak with knowledge, And his words [are] not with wisdom.

'Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without wisdom.'

36 My Father! Let Job be tried—to victory, Because of answers for men of iniquity,

If only Job were put on trial in the smallest details of his case because of his talking like wicked men.

37 For he adds to his sin, He vomits transgression among us, And multiplies his sayings to God.”

For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands in mockery in our midst; he piles up words against God.”