Job 36
1 Elihu also proceeded, and said:
And Elihu added and said: —
2 Bear with me a little while, that I may show thee! For I have yet words in behalf of God.
Restrain thyself for me a little, and I will shew thee, that, yet—for GOD, there is justification,
3 I will bring my knowledge from afar, And assert the justice of my Maker.
I will bring my knowledge from afar, and, to my Maker, will I attribute righteousness.
4 Truly my words shall not be false: A man of sound knowledge is before thee.
For, of a truth—not false, are my words, One of competent knowledge, is with thee.
5 Behold, God is great, but despiseth not any; Great is he in strength of understanding.
Lo! GOD, is mighty, yet will he not despise, Mighty in vigour of mind;
6 He suffereth not the wicked to prosper, But rendereth justice to the oppressed.
He will not keep alive one who is lawless, but, the right of oppressed ones, will he grant;
7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous; But establisheth them for ever with kings on the throne, That they may be exalted.
He will not withdraw—from a righteous one—his eyes, —but, with kings on the throne, He hath seated men triumphantly, and they have been exalted.
8 And if they be bound in fetters, And holden in the cords of affliction,
But, if, bound in fetters, they have been captured with cords of affliction,
9 Then showeth he them their deeds, And how they have set him at defiance by their transgressions;
Then hath he declared to them their deed, and their transgressions—that they were wont to behave themselves proudly;
10 He also openeth their ears to admonition, And commandeth them to return from iniquity.
Thus hath he uncovered their ear to a warning, and said—that they should turn from iniquity.
11 If they obey and serve him, They spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.
If they would hearken, and serve, they should complete their days, in prosperity, and their years, in pleasantness;
12 But if they obey not, they perish by the sword; They die in their own folly.
But, if they would not hearken, by a weapon, should they pass away, and breathe their last, no one knowing.
13 The corrupt in heart treasure up wrath; They cry not to God, when he bindeth them.
Yea, the impious in heart, should store up anger, They should not cry for help, when he bound them.
14 They die in their youth; They close their lives with the unclean.
Their soul should die in youth, and their life, among the unclean.
15 But he delivereth the poor in their distress; He openeth their ears in affliction.
He would deliver the humbled in his humiliation, and would uncover—in oppression—their ear.
16 He will bring thee also from the jaws of distress To a broad place, where is no straitness; And the provision of thy table shall be full of fatness.
Yea he might even have allured thee—out of the mouth of straitness, [into] a wide space—no narrowness there, —and, the food set down on thy table, should have been full of fatness.
17 But if thou art full of the judgment of the wicked, Judgment and justice shall take hold of thee.
But, with the plea of a lawless one, thou art full, Plea and sentence, will take fast hold.
18 For if wrath be with him, beware lest he take thee away by his stroke, So that a great ransom shall not save thee!
Because there is wrath, [beware] lest he take thee away with a stroke, Then let not, a great ransom, mislead thee.
19 Will he esteem thy riches? No! neither thy gold, nor all the abundance of thy wealth.
Will he value thy riches? Nay not precious ore, nor all the forces of strength.
20 Long not thou for that night To which nations are taken away from their place.
Do not pant for the night, when peoples disappear from their place.
21 Take heed, turn not thine eyes to iniquity! For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
Beware, do not turn unto iniquity, For, this, thou hast chosen rather than affliction.
22 Behold, God is exalted in his power: Who is a teacher like him?
Lo, GOD, exalteth himself by his strength, Who like him doth teach?
23 Who hath prescribed to him his way? Or who can say to him, “Thou hast done wrong”?
Who enjoined on him his way? and who ever said, Thou hast wrought perversity?
24 Forget not to magnify his work, Which men celebrate with songs.
Remember, that thou extol his work, of which men have sung;
25 All mankind gaze upon it; Mortals behold it from afar.
Every son of earth, hath viewed it, Mortal man, looketh at it from afar.
26 Behold, God is great; we cannot know him, Nor search out the number of his years.
Lo, GOD, is greater than we can know, The number of his years, even past finding out!
27 Lo! he draweth up the drops of water, Which distil rain from his vapor;
For he draweth up drops of water, They trickle as rain through his mist;
28 The clouds pour it down, And drop it upon man in abundance.
With which the clouds flow down, They drop on man in abundance.
29 Who can understand the spreading of his clouds, And the rattling of his pavilion?
But surely none can understand the burstings of the cloud, the crashing of his pavilion!
30 Behold, he spreadeth around himself his light, And he clotheth himself with the depths of the sea.
Lo! he hath spread out over it, his lightning, The bed of the sea, hath he covered.
31 By these he punisheth nations, And by these he giveth food in abundance.
For, by those things, he executeth judgment on peoples, He giveth food in abundance:
32 His hands he covereth with lightning; He giveth it commandment against an enemy.
Upon both hands, he putteth a covering of lightning, and layeth command upon it against an assailant:
33 His thunder maketh him known; Yea, to the herds, as he ascendeth on high.
His rolling thunder telleth concerning him, —The cattle, even, concerning him that is coming up.
