Job 36
1 Elihu [finished by] saying this:
| ויסף אליהוא ויאמר׃ |
2 “[Job, ] be patient with me a little longer, because I have something else to teach you. I have something else to say that God [wants you to know].
| כתר לי זעיר ואחוך כי עוד לאלוה מלים׃ |
3 I will tell you what I have learned from many sources, in order to show that God, my creator, is just/fair.
| אשא דעי למרחוק ולפעלי אתן צדק׃ |
4 I am not saying anything to you that is false; I, who am standing in front of you, am someone who understands things (very well/perfectly) [HYP].
| כי אמנם לא שקר מלי תמים דעות עמך׃ |
5 “Hey, God is [very] powerful, and he does not despise anyone, and he understands everything.
| הן אל כביר ולא ימאס כביר כח לב׃ |
6 He does not allow wicked people to remain alive, and he always acts justly toward those who are poor.
| לא יחיה רשע ומשפט עניים יתן׃ |
7 He always watches over [MTY] those who are righteous; he allows them to sit on thrones [and rule] with kings, and they are honored forever.
| לא יגרע מצדיק עיניו ואת מלכים לכסא וישיבם לנצח ויגבהו׃ |
8 But if people [who commit crimes] are caught, they [are thrown into prison and] are caused to suffer by being fastened with chains.
| ואם אסורים בזקים ילכדון בחבלי עני׃ |
9 When that happens, God shows them what they have done; he shows them the sins that they have committed, and he shows them that they have been proud/arrogant.
| ויגד להם פעלם ופשעיהם כי יתגברו׃ |
10 He causes them to listen [MTY] to what he is warning them, and he commands them to turn away from [doing what is] evil.
| ויגל אזנם למוסר ויאמר כי ישבון מאון׃ |
11 If they (listen to/heed) him and serve him, [after they get out of prison] they will prosper for all the years that they are alive and be peaceful/happy.
| אם ישמעו ויעבדו יכלו ימיהם בטוב ושניהם בנעימים׃ |
12 But if they do not (listen/pay attention) to him, they will die violently, not knowing [why God is causing them to die].
| ואם לא ישמעו בשלח יעברו ויגועו בבלי דעת׃ |
13 “Godless/Wicked people continue being angry, and they do not cry out for help, [even] when God is punishing them.
| וחנפי לב ישימו אף לא ישועו כי אסרם׃ |
14 They die while they are still young, disgraced because of their very immoral behavior [EUP].
| תמת בנער נפשם וחיתם בקדשים׃ |
15 But God teaches people by causing them to suffer; by afflicting them, he causes them to listen to [MTY] what he is telling them.
| יחלץ עני בעניו ויגל בלחץ אזנם׃ |
16 “And Job, [I think that] God [wants to] bring you out of your troubles and allow you to live without distress; he wants your table to be full of very nice food.
| ואף הסיתך מפי צר רחב לא מוצק תחתיה ונחת שלחנך מלא דשן׃ |
17 But now, you are being punished [MTY] as wicked people are punished; [God] [PRS] has been punishing you (justly/as you deserve).
| ודין רשע מלאת דין ומשפט יתמכו׃ |
18 So be careful that you are not deceived by [desiring to acquire] money or that you are not ruined by [accepting] large bribes.
| כי חמה פן יסיתך בספק ורב כפר אל יטך׃ |
19 [If you are deceived by those things, ] it certainly will not [RHQ] help you to cry out when you are distressed; all of your strength will not help you.
| היערך שועך לא בצר וכל מאמצי כח׃ |
20 Do not wish that it would be nighttime [in order that God will not see you and punish you], because night is the time when [even] people-groups are destroyed!
| אל תשאף הלילה לעלות עמים תחתם׃ |
21 Be careful not to [begin doing] evil things, because [God] has caused you to suffer to prevent you from doing evil.
| השמר אל תפן אל און כי על זה בחרת מעני׃ |
22 “Hey, God is extremely powerful; there is certainly [RHQ] no teacher who teaches like he does.
| הן אל ישגיב בכחו מי כמהו מורה׃ |
23 No one has [RHQ] told him what he should do, and no one has [RHQ] said to him, ‘You have done what is wrong!’
| מי פקד עליו דרכו ומי אמר פעלת עולה׃ |
24 People have [always] sung to praise him, so you also should never forget to praise him for what he has done.
| זכר כי תשגיא פעלו אשר שררו אנשים׃ |
25 Everyone has seen [what he has done], but [sometimes] we can see it only from far away.
| כל אדם חזו בו אנוש יביט מרחוק׃ |
26 “Hey, God is very great, and we are not able to know how great he is, and we do not know how old he is.
| הן אל שגיא ולא נדע מספר שניו ולא חקר׃ |
27 He draws water up [from the earth and puts it in clouds] and causes it to become rain.
| כי יגרע נטפי מים יזקו מטר לאדו׃ |
28 The rain pours down from the sky/clouds; God causes abundant showers to fall on everyone.
| אשר יזלו שחקים ירעפו עלי אדם רב׃ |
29 No one can [RHQ] understand how the clouds move [across the sky] or how it thunders in the sky where God lives.
| אף אם יבין מפרשי עב תשאות סכתו׃ |
30 He causes lightning to flash all around him, but he causes the bottom of the oceans to remain dark.
| הן פרש עליו אורו ושרשי הים כסה׃ |
31 By providing plenty of rain for us, he enables us to have abundant food.
| כי בם ידין עמים יתן אכל למכביר׃ |
32 [It is as though] he holds the lightning in his hands, and [then] he commands it to strike where he wants it to.
| על כפים כסה אור ויצו עליה במפגיע׃ |
33 When we hear his thunder, we know that there will be a storm, and the cattle know it, too.”
| יגיד עליו רעו מקנה אף על עולה׃ |
