Job 33
1 “But now, Job, listen carefully to all that I am going to say [DOU].
“And yet, please, O Job, Hear my speech and give ear [to] all my words.
2 I am ready to tell you [MTY, DOU] [what I think].
Now behold, I have opened my mouth, My tongue has spoken in the palate.
3 I know that I am speaking honestly and that I am speaking [MTY] sincerely.
Of the uprightness of my heart [are] my sayings, And my lips have clearly spoken knowledge.
4 Almighty God has created me [as well as you], and his breath has caused me to live.
The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Mighty quickens me.
5 So, answer [what] I [say] if you can; think carefully [about how you will reply to me].
If you are able—answer me, Set in array before me—station yourself.
6 “God considers that you, and I are both [equal]; he formed both of us from clay.
Behold, I [am], according to your word, for God, I have also been formed from the clay.
7 So you do not need to be afraid of me; I will not crush/oppress you [by what I say] [MTY].
Behold, my terror does not frighten you, And my burden on you is not heavy.
8 I have heard you [DOU] speaking, and this is what you have said:
Surely you have spoken in my ears, And the sounds of words I hear:
9 ‘I am innocent; I have not committed any sins; I am pure; I have not done things that are wrong.
I [am] pure, without transgression, I [am] innocent, and I have no iniquity.
10 But God finds reasons to accuse me, and he considers that I am his enemy.
Behold, He develops hindrances against me, He reckons me for an enemy to Him,
11 [It is as though] he has put my feet (in stocks/between wooden blocks to prevent me from walking away), and he watches everything that I do.’ [MTY]
He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.
12 But what you have said is wrong, and I will tell you [what you have said that is wrong]. God is much greater than any human.
Behold, you have not been righteous [in] this, I answer you, that God is greater than man.
13 So, (why are you arguing against God, saying ‘He never answers my questions’?/you should not be arguing against God, saying ‘He never answers my questions.’) [RHQ]
Why have you striven against Him, When [for] all His matters He does not answer?
14 God does speak [to us] in various ways, but we do not pay any attention to what he says.
For once God speaks, and twice (he does not behold it),
15 [Sometimes he speaks to us] at night in dreams and visions, when we are on our beds, asleep [DOU].
In a dream—a vision of night, In the falling of deep sleep on men, In slumberings on a bed.
16 He reveals things [MTY] to us and terrifies us by the things he warns us about.
Then He uncovers the ear of men, And seals for their instruction,
17 He tell us those things in order that we stop doing [evil] things and to prevent us from becoming proud.
To turn aside man [from] doing, And He conceals pride from man.
18 He does not want us to be destroyed [MTY]; he wants to prevent us from dying [MTY] [while we are still young].
He keeps back his soul from corruption, And his life from passing away by a dart.
19 God also [sometimes] corrects us by forcing us to lie on our beds suffering much pain and with fever/aching in our bones.
And he has been reproved With pain on his bed, And the strife of his bones [is] enduring.
20 The result is that we do not desire any food, not even very special food.
And his life has nauseated bread, And his soul desirable food.
21 Our bodies become very thin, with the result that we look like skeletons [HYP], and our bones stick out.
His flesh is consumed from being seen, And his bones are high, they were not seen!
22 [We know that] we will soon die and go to the place where dead people are.
And his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those causing death.
23 “But sometimes an angel [may come to one of us], one of the thousands of angels who come to intervene between us and God, to tell us what are the right things for us [to do].
If there is a messenger by him, An interpreter—one of a thousand, To declare for man his uprightness,
24 The angel is kind to us and says to God, ‘Release that person, so that he does not descend to the place where dead people are! Do that because I have found the money to pay so that he can be released!
Then He favors him and says, Ransom him from going down to the pit, I have found an atonement.
25 Allow his body to be strong again; allow him to be strong like he was when he was a youth!’
Fresher [is] his flesh than a child’s, He returns to the days of his youth.
26 When that happens, that person will pray to God, and God will accept/answer him; he will (enter God’s presence/worship God) joyfully, and then he will tell others how God saved him [from dying].
He makes supplication to God, And He accepts him. And he sees His face with shouting, And He returns to man His righteousness.
27 He will sing as he tells everyone, ‘I sinned, and I did things that were not right, but God did not punish me in the way that I deserved.
[Then] he looks on men and says, I sinned, and I have perverted uprightness, And it has not been profitable to me.
28 He has saved me from dying and going to the place where dead people are, and I will continue to enjoy being alive.’
He has ransomed my soul From going over into the pit, And my life looks on the light.
29 God does all these things for us many times;
Behold, God works all these, Twice, [even] three times with man,
30 he keeps us [SYN] from [dying and] going to the place where the dead are, in order that we can continue to enjoy being alive [IDM].
To bring back his soul from the pit, To be enlightened with the light of the living.
31 So Job, listen to me; do not say anything more; just allow me to speak.
Attend, O Job, listen to me, Keep silent, and I speak.
32 [After I speak], if you have something more that you want to say to me, say it, because I would like to find a way to declare that you (are innocent/have not done what is wrong).
If there are words—answer me, Speak, for I have a desire to justify you.
33 But if you have nothing more that you want to say, then just listen to me, and I will teach you how to become wise.”
If there are not—listen to me, Keep silent, and I teach you wisdom.”
