Job 36
1 And Elihu added and said: —
And Elihu went on to say,
2 Restrain thyself for me a little, and I will shew thee, that, yet—for GOD, there is justification,
Give me a little more time, and I will make it clear to you; for I have still something to say for God.
3 I will bring my knowledge from afar, and, to my Maker, will I attribute righteousness.
I will get my knowledge from far, and I will give righteousness to my Maker.
4 For, of a truth—not false, are my words, One of competent knowledge, is with thee.
For truly my words are not false; one who has all knowledge is talking with you.
5 Lo! GOD, is mighty, yet will he not despise, Mighty in vigour of mind;
Truly, God gives up the hard-hearted, and will not give life to the sinner.
6 He will not keep alive one who is lawless, but, the right of oppressed ones, will he grant;
His eyes are ever on the upright, and he gives to the crushed their right;
7 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.
Lifting them up to the seat of kings, and making them safe for ever.
8 But, if, bound in fetters, they have been captured with cords of affliction,
And if they have been prisoned in chains, and taken in cords of trouble,
9 Then hath he declared to them their deed, and their transgressions—that they were wont to behave themselves proudly;
Then he makes clear to them what they have done, even their evil works in which they have taken pride.
10 Thus hath he uncovered their ear to a warning, and said—that they should turn from iniquity.
Their ear is open to his teaching, and he gives them orders so that their hearts may be turned from evil.
11 If they would hearken, and serve, they should complete their days, in prosperity, and their years, in pleasantness;
If they give ear to his voice, and do his word, then he gives them long life, and years full of pleasure.
12 But, if they would not hearken, by a weapon, should they pass away, and breathe their last, no one knowing.
But if not, they come to their end, and give up their breath without knowledge.
13 Yea, the impious in heart, should store up anger, They should not cry for help, when he bound them.
Those who have no fear of God keep wrath stored up in their hearts; they give no cry for help when they are made prisoners.
14 Their soul should die in youth, and their life, among the unclean.
They come to their end while they are still young, their life is short like that of those who are used for sex purposes in the worship of their gods.
15 He would deliver the humbled in his humiliation, and would uncover—in oppression—their ear.
He makes the wrong done to the poor the way of their salvation, opening their ears by their trouble.
16 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, with the plea of a lawless one, thou art full, Plea and sentence, will take fast hold.
18 Because there is wrath, [beware] lest he take thee away with a stroke, Then let not, a great ransom, mislead thee.
19 Will he value thy riches? Nay not precious ore, nor all the forces of strength.
20 Do not pant for the night, when peoples disappear from their place.
21 Beware, do not turn unto iniquity, For, this, thou hast chosen rather than affliction.
Take care not to be turned to sin, for you have taken evil for your part in place of sorrow.
22 Lo, GOD, exalteth himself by his strength, Who like him doth teach?
Truly God is lifted up in strength; who is a ruler like him?
23 Who enjoined on him his way? and who ever said, Thou hast wrought perversity?
Who ever gave orders to him, or said to him, You have done wrong?
24 Remember, that thou extol his work, of which men have sung;
See that you give praise to his work, about which men make songs.
25 Every son of earth, hath viewed it, Mortal man, looketh at it from afar.
All people are looking on it; man sees it from far.
26 Lo, GOD, is greater than we can know, The number of his years, even past finding out!
Truly, God is great, greater than all our knowledge; the number of his years may not be searched out.
27 For he draweth up drops of water, They trickle as rain through his mist;
For he takes up the drops from the sea; he sends them through his mist as rain,
28 With which the clouds flow down, They drop on man in abundance.
Flowing down from the sky, and dropping on the peoples.
29 But surely none can understand the burstings of the cloud, the crashing of his pavilion!
And who has knowledge of how the clouds are stretched out, or of the thunders of his tent?
30 Lo! he hath spread out over it, his lightning, The bed of the sea, hath he covered.
See, he is stretching out his mist, covering the tops of the mountains with it.
31 For, by those things, he executeth judgment on peoples, He giveth food in abundance:
For by these he gives food to the peoples, and bread in full measure.
32 Upon both hands, he putteth a covering of lightning, and layeth command upon it against an assailant:
He takes the light in his hands, sending it against the mark.
33 His rolling thunder telleth concerning him, —The cattle, even, concerning him that is coming up.
The thunder makes clear his passion, and the storm gives news of his wrath.
