Job 35

1 And Elihu answers and says:

Then Elihu also said this:

2 “Have you reckoned this for judgment [when] you have said, My righteousness [is] more than God’s?

“[Job, ] do you think that what you said is right/correct? You say, ‘God knows that I am innocent,’

3 For you say, What does it profit You? What do I profit from my sin?

and you say [to God], ‘What good have I received for not sinning? What benefit have I received from that?’ [DOU, RHQ]

4 I return words, and your friends with you,

[Well, ] I will answer you, and I will answer your three friends, too.

5 Behold attentively the heavens—and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than you.

“[Job], look up at the sky; look at the clouds that are high above you and realize [that God is far above everything].

6 If you have sinned, what do you do against Him? And your transgressions have been multiplied, What do you do to Him?

If you have sinned, that does not [RHQ] harm God at all. If many times you do things that are wrong, that certainly does not [RHQ] affect him [DOU].

7 If you have been righteous, What do you give to Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?

And if you are righteous, does that help God? No, he is not benefited by anything that you do [DOU].

8 For a man like yourself [is] your wickedness, And for a son of man your righteousness.

It is other people who suffer because of the wicked things that you do, but by doing good things for people, you help them.

9 Because of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.

“People cry out because of the many things that people do to others to (oppress them/treat them cruelly); they call for help because of the things that powerful people do [MTY] to them.

10 And none said, Where [is] God my Maker? Giving songs in the night,

But (no one/none of them) calls out [to God], saying ‘Why does God, my creator, [not help me]? He [should] enable me to sing [joyful] songs, [instead of very sad songs, ] during the night.

11 Teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Indeed, He makes us wiser than the bird of the heavens.

He [should be able to] teach us more than all the wild animals do; he [should] enable us to become wiser than [all] the birds are!’

12 There they cry, and He does not answer, Because of the pride of evildoers.

People cry out [for help], but God does not answer them, because those who cry out are proud and evil people.

13 Surely God does not hear vanity, And the Mighty does not behold it.

It is useless for them to cry out, because God, the Almighty One, does not pay any attention to what they say.

14 Indeed, though you say you do not behold Him, Judgment [is] before Him, and stays for Him.

So, when you complain that you cannot see God, and you tell him that you are waiting for him [to decide whether or not you should be punished for what you have done], God will not listen to you, either!

15 And now, because there is not, He has appointed His anger, And He has not known in great extremity.

Furthermore, [you say that] because he does not pay attention when people commit sins, he does not become angry and punish them.

16 And Job opens his mouth [with] vanity, He multiplies words without knowledge.”

You say things that are useless; you say a lot of things without knowing [what you are talking about].”