Job 34
1 Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:
And Elihu answereth and saith:
2 “Listen to my words, you wise men; hear me, you who have knowledge.
Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me.
3 For the ear tries words as the palate tastes food.
For the ear doth try words, And the palate tasteth to eat.
4 Let us choose for ourselves what is just: let us discover among ourselves what is good.
Judgment let us choose for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what [is] good.
5 For Job has said, 'I am righteous, but God has taken away my rights.
For Job hath said, 'I have been righteous, And God hath turned aside my right,
6 Regardless of my rights, I am considered to be a liar. My wound is incurable, although I am without sin.'
Against my right do I lie? Mortal [is] mine arrow — without transgression.'
7 What man is like Job, who drinks up mockery like water,
Who [is] a man like Job? He drinketh scoffing like water,
8 who goes around in the company of those who do evil, and who walks with wicked men?
And he hath travelled for company With workers of iniquity, So as to go with men of wickedness.
9 For he has said, 'It is no use to a person to take pleasure in doing what God wants.'
For he hath said, 'It doth not profit a man, When he delighteth himself with God.'
10 So listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness; far be it from the Almighty that he should commit sin.
Therefore, O men of heart, hearken to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And [from] the Mighty to do perverseness:
11 For he pays back a person's work; he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways.
For the work of man he repayeth to him, And according to the path of each He doth cause him to find.
12 Indeed, God does nothing wicked, nor does the Almighty ever pervert justice.
Yea, truly, God doth not do wickedly, And the Mighty doth not pervert judgment.
13 Who put him in charge over the earth? Who put the whole world under him?
Who hath inspected for Himself the earth? And who hath placed all the habitable world?
14 If he ever set his intentions only on himself, and if he ever gathered back to himself his spirit and his breath,
If He doth set on him His heart, His spirit and his breath unto Him He gathereth.
15 then all flesh would perish together; mankind would return to dust again.
Expire doth all flesh together, And man to dust returneth.
16 If now you have understanding, listen to this; listen to the sound of my words.
And if [there is] understanding, hear this, Give ear to the voice of my words.
17 Can one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty?
Yea, doth one hating justice govern? Or the Most Just dost thou condemn?
18 God, who says to a king, 'You are vile,' or says to nobles, 'You are wicked'?
Who hath said to a king — 'Worthless,' Unto princes — 'Wicked?'
19 God, who does not show favoritism to leaders and does not acknowledge rich people more than poor, for they all are the work of his hands.
That hath not accepted the person of princes, Nor hath known the rich before the poor, For a work of His hands [are] all of them.
20 In a moment they will die; at midnight people will be shaken and will pass away; mighty people will be taken away, but not by human hands.
[In] a moment they die, and at midnight Shake do people, and they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand.
21 For God's eyes are upon a person's ways; he sees all his steps.
For His eyes [are] on the ways of each, And all his steps He doth see.
22 There is no darkness, no thick gloom where the doers of iniquity may hide themselves.
There is no darkness nor death-shade, For workers of iniquity to be hidden there;
23 For God does not need to examine a person further; there is no need for any person to go before him in judgment.
For He doth not suffer man any more, To go unto God in judgment,
24 He breaks mighty men into pieces for their ways that need no further investigation; he puts others in their places.
He breaketh the mighty — no searching! And He appointeth others in their stead.
25 In this way he has knowledge of their deeds; he overthrows these people in the night; they are destroyed.
Therefore He knoweth their works, And He hath overturned by night, And they are bruised.
26 In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals
As wicked He hath stricken them, In the place of beholders.
27 because they turned away from following him and refused to acknowledge any of his ways.
Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And none of His ways have considered wisely,
28 In this way, they made the cry of poor people come to him; he heard the cry of afflicted people.
To cause to come in unto Him The cry of the poor, And the cry of the afflicted He heareth.
29 When he stays silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can perceive him? He rules over nation and individual alike,
And He giveth rest, and who maketh wrong? And hideth the face, and who beholdeth it? And in reference to a nation and to a man, [It is] the same.
30 so that a godless man may not rule, so that there may be no one to entrap people.
From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;
31 Suppose someone says to God, 'I am certainly guilty, but I will not sin any longer;
For unto God hath any said: 'I have taken away, I do not corruptly,
32 teach me what I cannot see; I have committed sin, but I will do it no longer.'
Besides [that which] I see, shew Thou me, If iniquity I have done — I do not add?'
33 Do you think that God will punish that person's sin, since you dislike what God does? You must choose, not I. So say what it is that you know.
By thee doth He recompense, That thou hast refused — That thou dost choose, and not I? And what thou hast known, speak.
34 Men of understanding will say to me— indeed, every wise man who hears me will say,
Let men of heart say to me, And a wise man is hearkening to me.
35 'Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without wisdom.'
Job — not with knowledge doth he speak, And his words [are] not with wisdom.
36 If only Job were put on trial in the smallest details of his case because of his talking like wicked men.
My Father! let Job be tried — unto victory, Because of answers for men of iniquity,
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands in mockery in our midst; he piles up words against God.”
For he doth add to his sin, Transgression among us he vomiteth, And multiplieth his sayings to God.
