Job 34

1 Furthermore Elihu responded, and said: —

Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:

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

“Listen to my words, you wise men; hear me, you who have knowledge.

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

For the ear tries words as the palate tastes food.

4 What is right, let us choose 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 hath said—I am righteous, But, GOD, hath turned away my right;

For Job has said, 'I am righteous, but God has taken away my rights.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, 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 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 a man, and, all his footsteps, he beholdeth, —

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

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

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

23 For, unto no man, doth he appoint a repetition, —in going unto 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 shattereth mighty ones unsearchably, and setteth up 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 observeth their works, —and overturneth [them] in a night, and they are crushed;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

36 Would that Job might be tested to the uttermost, for replying with the 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 addeth—unto his sin—rebellion, In our midst, he clappeth his hands, and multiplieth his sayings against GOD.

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