Job 34
1 Then Elihu continued:
And Elihu answers and says:
2 “You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
“Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me.
3 When we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good].
For the ear tries words, And the palate tastes to eat.
4 We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
Let us choose judgment for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what [is] good.
5 Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
For Job has said, I have been righteous, And God has turned aside my right,
6 Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
Against my right do I lie? My arrow [is] mortal—without transgression.
7 (Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
Who [is] a man like Job? He drinks scoffing like water,
8 He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
And he has traveled for company With workers of iniquity, So as to go with men of wickedness.
9 He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
For he has said, It does not profit a man When he delights himself with God.
10 “So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
Therefore, O men of heart, listen to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And [from] the Mighty to do perverseness,
11 He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
For He repays the work of man to him, And according to the path of each He causes him to find.
12 Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
Indeed, truly, God does not do wickedly, And the Mighty does not pervert judgment.
13 The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
Who has inspected for Himself the earth? And who has placed all the habitable world?
14 If he would take his spirit back to himself,
If He sets His heart on him, [If] He gathers His Spirit and His breath to Himself,
15 everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
All flesh expires together, And man returns to dust.
16 “So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
And if [there is] understanding, hear this, Give ear to the voice of my words.
17 God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
Indeed, does one hating justice govern? Or do you condemn the Most Just?
18 He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
Who has said to a king, Worthless, To princes, Wicked?
19 He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
That has not accepted the person of princes, Nor has known the rich before the poor, For all of them [are] a work of His hands.
20 People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
[In] a moment they die, And at midnight people shake, And they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand.
21 “He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
For His eyes [are] on the ways of each, And He sees all his steps.
22 There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
There is no darkness nor death-shade, For workers of iniquity to be hidden there;
23 God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
For He does not permit man anymore, To go to God in judgment,
24 He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
He breaks the mighty—no searching! And He appoints others in their stead.
25 Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
Therefore He knows their works, And He has overturned by night, And they are bruised.
26 Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
As wicked He has struck them, In the place of beholders.
27 he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And have considered none of His ways,
28 They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
To cause to come to Him The cry of the poor, And He hears the cry of the afflicted.
29 But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
And He gives rest, and who makes wrong? And hides the face, and who beholds it? And in reference to a nation and to a man, [It is] the same.
30 and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;
31 “Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
For has any said to God: I have taken away, I do not do corruptly,
32 so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
Besides [that which] I see, You show me, If I have done iniquity—I do not add?
33 [Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
Does He repay by you, that you have refused—That you choose, and not I? And what you have known, speak.
34 “People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
Let men of heart say to me, And a wise man is listening to me:
35 ‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
Job—he does not speak with knowledge, And his words [are] not with wisdom.
36 I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
My Father! Let Job be tried—to victory, Because of answers for men of iniquity,
37 To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
For he adds to his sin, He vomits transgression among us, And multiplies his sayings to God.”
