Job 34
1 Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:
| ויען אליהוא ויאמר |
2 “Listen to my words, you wise men; hear me, you who have knowledge.
| שמעו חכמים מלי וידעים האזינו לי |
3 For the ear tries words as the palate tastes food.
| כי-אזן מלין תבחן וחך יטעם לאכל |
4 Let us choose for ourselves what is just: let us discover among ourselves what is good.
| משפט נבחרה-לנו נדעה בינינו מה-טוב |
5 For Job has said, 'I am righteous, but God has taken away my rights.
| כי-אמר איוב צדקתי ואל הסיר משפטי |
6 Regardless of my rights, I am considered to be a liar. My wound is incurable, although I am without sin.'
| על-משפטי אכזב אנוש חצי בלי-פשע |
7 What man is like Job, who drinks up mockery like water,
| מי-גבר כאיוב ישתה-לעג כמים |
8 who goes around in the company of those who do evil, and who walks with wicked men?
| וארח לחברה עם-פעלי און וללכת עם-אנשי-רשע |
9 For he has said, 'It is no use to a person to take pleasure in doing what God wants.'
| כי-אמר לא יסכן-גבר-- ברצתו עם-אלהים |
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.
| לכן אנשי לבב-- שמעו-לי חללה לאל מרשע ושדי מעול |
11 For he pays back a person's work; he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways.
| כי פעל אדם ישלם-לו וכארח איש ימצאנו |
12 Indeed, God does nothing wicked, nor does the Almighty ever pervert justice.
| אף-אמנם אל לא-ירשיע ושדי לא-יעות משפט |
13 Who put him in charge over the earth? Who put the whole world under him?
| מי-פקד עליו ארצה ומי שם תבל כלה |
14 If he ever set his intentions only on himself, and if he ever gathered back to himself his spirit and his breath,
| אם-ישים אליו לבו רוחו ונשמתו אליו יאסף |
15 then all flesh would perish together; mankind would return to dust again.
| יגוע כל-בשר יחד ואדם על-עפר ישוב |
16 If now you have understanding, listen to this; listen to the sound of my words.
| ואם-בינה שמעה-זאת האזינה לקול מלי |
17 Can one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty?
| האף שונא משפט יחבוש ואם-צדיק כביר תרשיע |
18 God, who says to a king, 'You are vile,' or says to nobles, 'You are wicked'?
| האמר למלך בליעל-- רשע אל-נדיבים |
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.
| אשר לא-נשא פני שרים ולא נכר-שוע לפני-דל כי-מעשה ידיו כלם |
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.
| רגע ימתו-- וחצות לילה יגעשו עם ויעברו ויסירו אביר לא ביד |
21 For God's eyes are upon a person's ways; he sees all his steps.
| כי-עיניו על-דרכי-איש וכל-צעדיו יראה |
22 There is no darkness, no thick gloom where the doers of iniquity may hide themselves.
| אין-חשך ואין צלמות-- להסתר שם פעלי און |
23 For God does not need to examine a person further; there is no need for any person to go before him in judgment.
| כי לא על-איש ישים עוד-- להלך אל-אל במשפט |
24 He breaks mighty men into pieces for their ways that need no further investigation; he puts others in their places.
| ירע כבירים לא-חקר ויעמד אחרים תחתם |
25 In this way he has knowledge of their deeds; he overthrows these people in the night; they are destroyed.
| לכן--יכיר מעבדיהם והפך לילה וידכאו |
26 In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals
| תחת-רשעים ספקם-- במקום ראים |
27 because they turned away from following him and refused to acknowledge any of his ways.
| אשר על-כן סרו מאחריו וכל-דרכיו לא השכילו |
28 In this way, they made the cry of poor people come to him; he heard the cry of afflicted people.
| להביא עליו צעקת-דל וצעקת עניים ישמע |
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,
| והוא ישקט ומי ירשע-- ויסתר פנים ומי ישורנו ועל-גוי ועל-אדם יחד |
30 so that a godless man may not rule, so that there may be no one to entrap people.
| ממלך אדם חנף-- ממקשי עם |
31 Suppose someone says to God, 'I am certainly guilty, but I will not sin any longer;
| כי-אל-אל האמר נשאתי-- לא אחבל |
32 teach me what I cannot see; I have committed sin, but I will do it no longer.'
| בלעדי אחזה אתה הרני אם-עול פעלתי לא אסיף |
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.
| המעמך ישלמנה כי-מאסת--כי-אתה תבחר ולא-אני ומה-ידעת דבר |
34 Men of understanding will say to me— indeed, every wise man who hears me will say,
| אנשי לבב יאמרו לי וגבר חכם שמע לי |
35 'Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without wisdom.'
| איוב לא-בדעת ידבר ודבריו לא בהשכיל |
36 If only Job were put on trial in the smallest details of his case because of his talking like wicked men.
| אבי--יבחן איוב עד-נצח על-תשבת באנשי-און |
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands in mockery in our midst; he piles up words against God.”
| כי יסיף על-חטאתו פשע בינינו יספוק וירב אמריו לאל |
