Job 34

1 Furthermore Elihu responded, and said: —

And Elihu answers and says:

2 Hear, ye wise men, my words, and, ye who know, give ear unto me;

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

3 For, the ear, trieth words, as, the palate, tasteth in eating.

For the ear tries words, And the palate tastes to eat.

4 What is right, let us choose for ourselves, Let us know, among ourselves, what is good;

Let us choose judgment for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what [is] good.

5 For Job hath said—I am righteous, But, GOD, hath turned away my right;

For Job has said, I have been righteous, And God has turned aside my right,

6 Concerning mine own right, shall I tell a falsehood? Incurable is my disease—not for any transgression.

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

7 What man is like Job? He drinketh in scoffing like water;

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

8 And is on the way to keep company, with the workers of iniquity, and to walk with lawless men.

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

9 For he hath said, It profiteth not a man, when, his good pleasure, is with God.

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

10 Wherefore, ye men of mind, hearken unto me, —Far be it, that, GOD, should be lawless, or, the Almighty, be perverse!

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

11 For, what any son of earth doeth, he repayeth him, and, according to every man’s course, he causeth him to find.

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

12 Nay, verily, GOD, will not condemn unjustly, —nor, the Almighty, pervert justice.

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

13 Who set him in charge of the earth? Or who appointed [him] the whole world?

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

14 If he should set against him his heart, His spirit and his inspiration, unto himself he should withdraw.

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

15 All flesh together, would cease to breathe, and, the earth-born, unto dust, would return.

All flesh expires together, And man returns to dust.

16 If then [thou hast] understanding, hear this, Give thou ear to the teaching of my words: —

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

17 Shall, the very hater of right, control? Or, the just—the mighty one, wilt thou condemn?

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

18 Doth one say to a king, Abandoned one! Or, Lawless one! unto nobles?

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

19 For he hath shewn no respect of persons unto princes, neither hath he recognised the rich rather than the poor? For, the work of his hands, are they all.

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.

20 In a moment, they die, even in the middle of the night, —A people are convulsed when they pass away, A mighty one is removed, without hand;

[In] a moment they die, And at midnight people shake, And they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand.

21 For, his eyes, are on the ways of a man, and, all his footsteps, he beholdeth, —

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

22 No darkness, and no death-shade, where the workers of iniquity may hide.

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

23 For, unto no man, doth he appoint a repetition, —in going unto GOD in judgment;

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

24 He shattereth mighty ones unsearchably, and setteth up others in their stead:

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

25 Therefore, he observeth their works, —and overturneth [them] in a night, and they are crushed;

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

26 In the place of lawless men, hath he chastised them, in presence of beholders.

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

27 Forasmuch, as they turned from following him, and, none of his ways, did they teach;

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

28 Causing to reach him the outcry of the poor, Yea, the outcry of the oppressed, he heareth.

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

29 When, he, giveth quiet, who then shall condemn? And, when he hideth [his] face, who then shall sing of him? whether unto a nation or unto mankind altogether,

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.

30 That impious men may not reign, nor be ensnarers of the people.

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

31 For, unto GOD, hath one [ever] said—I have borne punishment, I will not be perverse;

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

32 What I see not, do, thou, shew me, If, perverseness, I have wrought, I will do it no more?

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

33 According to thy mind, must he requite it, that thou hast refused? For, thou, must choose, and not, I, What then thou knowest, speak!

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

34 The men of mind, will say to me, yea any wise man hearkening unto me: —

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

35 Job, without knowledge, doth speak, and, his words, are not with discretion.

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

36 Would that Job might be tested to the uttermost, for replying with the men of iniquity:

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

37 For he addeth—unto his sin—rebellion, In our midst, he clappeth his hands, and multiplieth his sayings against GOD.

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