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