Job 36

1 And Elihu added and said: —

And Elius further continued, and said,

2 Restrain thyself for me a little, and I will shew thee, that, yet—for GOD, there is justification,

Wait for me yet a little while, that I may teach thee: for there is yet speech in me.

3 I will bring my knowledge from afar, and, to my Maker, will I attribute righteousness.

Having fetched my knowledge from afar, and according to my works,

4 For, of a truth—not false, are my words, One of competent knowledge, is with thee.

I will speak just things truly, and thou shalt not unjustly receive unjust words.

5 Lo! GOD, is mighty, yet will he not despise, Mighty in vigour of mind;

But know that the Lord will not cast off an innocent man: being mighty in strength of wisdom,

6 He will not keep alive one who is lawless, but, the right of oppressed ones, will he grant;

he will not by any means save alive the ungodly: and he will grant the judgment of the poor.

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.

He will not turn away his eyes from the righteous, but [they shall be] with kings on the throne: and he will establish them in triumph, and they shall be exalted.

8 But, if, bound in fetters, they have been captured with cords of affliction,

But they that are bound in fetters shall be holden in cords of poverty.

9 Then hath he declared to them their deed, and their transgressions—that they were wont to behave themselves proudly;

And he shall recount to them their works, and their transgressions, for such will act with violence.

10 Thus hath he uncovered their ear to a warning, and said—that they should turn from iniquity.

But he will hearken to the righteous: and he has said that they shall turn from unrighteousness.

11 If they would hearken, and serve, they should complete their days, in prosperity, and their years, in pleasantness;

If they should hear and serve [him], they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in honour.

12 But, if they would not hearken, by a weapon, should they pass away, and breathe their last, no one knowing.

But he preserves not the ungodly; because they are not willing to know the Lord, and because when reproved they were disobedient.

13 Yea, the impious in heart, should store up anger, They should not cry for help, when he bound them.

And the hypocrites in heart will array wrath [against themselves]; they will not cry, because he has bound them.

14 Their soul should die in youth, and their life, among the unclean.

Therefore let their soul die in youth, and their life be wounded by messengers [of death].

15 He would deliver the humbled in his humiliation, and would uncover—in oppression—their ear.

Because they afflicted the weak and helpless: and he will vindicate the judgment of the meek.

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.

And he has also enticed thee out of the mouth of the enemy:

17 But, with the plea of a lawless one, thou art full, Plea and sentence, will take fast hold.

[there is] a deep gulf [and] a rushing stream beneath it, and thy table came down full of fatness. Judgment shall not fail from the righteous;

18 Because there is wrath, [beware] lest he take thee away with a stroke, Then let not, a great ransom, mislead thee.

but there shall be wrath upon the ungodly, by reason of the ungodliness of the bribes which they received for iniquities.

19 Will he value thy riches? Nay not precious ore, nor all the forces of strength.

Let not [thy] mind willingly turn thee aside from the petition of the feeble that are in distress.

20 Do not pant for the night, when peoples disappear from their place.

And draw not forth all the mighty [men] by night, so that the people should go up instead of them.

21 Beware, do not turn unto iniquity, For, this, thou hast chosen rather than affliction.

But take heed lest thou do that which is wrong: for of this thou has made choice because of poverty.

22 Lo, GOD, exalteth himself by his strength, Who like him doth teach?

Behold, the Mighty One shall prevail by his strength: for who is powerful as he is?

23 Who enjoined on him his way? and who ever said, Thou hast wrought perversity?

And who is he that examines his works? or who can say, he has wrought injustice?

24 Remember, that thou extol his work, of which men have sung;

Remember that his works are great [beyond] those which men have attempted.

25 Every son of earth, hath viewed it, Mortal man, looketh at it from afar.

Every man has seen in himself, how many mortals are wounded.

26 Lo, GOD, is greater than we can know, The number of his years, even past finding out!

Behold, the Mighty One is great, and we shall not know [him]: the number of his years is even infinite.

27 For he draweth up drops of water, They trickle as rain through his mist;

And the drops of rain are numbered by him, and shall be poured out in rain to form a cloud.

28 With which the clouds flow down, They drop on man in abundance.

The ancient [heavens] shall flow, and the clouds overshadow innumerable mortals: he has fixed a time to cattle, and they know the order of rest. [Yet] by all these things thy understanding is not astonished, neither is thy mind disturbed in [thy] body.

29 But surely none can understand the burstings of the cloud, the crashing of his pavilion!

And though one should understand the outspreadings of the clouds, [or] the measure of his tabernacle;

30 Lo! he hath spread out over it, his lightning, The bed of the sea, hath he covered.

behold he will stretch his bow against him, and he covers the bottom of the sea.

31 For, by those things, he executeth judgment on peoples, He giveth food in abundance:

For by them he will judge the nations: he will give food to him that has strength.

32 Upon both hands, he putteth a covering of lightning, and layeth command upon it against an assailant:

He has hidden the light in [his] hands, and given charge concerning it to the interposing [cloud].

33 His rolling thunder telleth concerning him, —The cattle, even, concerning him that is coming up.

The Lord will declare concerning this [to] his friend: [but there is] a portion also for unrighteousness.