Job 34
1 And Elihu answereth and saith:
Then Elihu continued:
2 Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me.
“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.
3 For the ear doth try words, And the palate tasteth to eat.
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].
4 Judgment let us choose for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what [is] good.
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 For Job hath said, 'I have been righteous, And God hath turned aside my right,
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 Against my right do I lie? Mortal [is] mine arrow — without transgression.'
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.’
7 Who [is] a man like Job? He drinketh scoffing like water,
(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]
8 And he hath travelled for company With workers of iniquity, So as to go with men of wickedness.
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 For he hath said, 'It doth not profit a man, When he delighteth himself with God.'
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 Therefore, O men of heart, hearken to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And [from] the Mighty to do perverseness:
“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]!
11 For the work of man he repayeth to him, And according to the path of each He doth cause him to find.
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.
12 Yea, truly, God doth not do wickedly, And the Mighty doth not pervert judgment.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Who hath inspected for Himself the earth? And who hath placed all the habitable world?
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].
14 If He doth set on him His heart, His spirit and his breath unto Him He gathereth.
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 Expire doth all flesh together, And man to dust returneth.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 And if [there is] understanding, hear this, Give ear to the voice of my words.
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 Yea, doth one hating justice govern? Or the Most Just dost thou condemn?
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]?
18 Who hath said to a king — 'Worthless,' Unto princes — 'Wicked?'
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 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.
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.
20 [In] a moment they die, and at midnight Shake do people, and they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand.
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].
21 For His eyes [are] on the ways of each, And all his steps He doth see.
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 There is no darkness nor death-shade, For workers of iniquity to be hidden there;
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 For He doth not suffer man any more, To go unto God in judgment,
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].
24 He breaketh the mighty — no searching! And He appointeth others in their stead.
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 Therefore He knoweth their works, And He hath overturned by night, And they are bruised.
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 As wicked He hath stricken them, In the place of beholders.
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And none of His ways have considered wisely,
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.
28 To cause to come in unto Him The cry of the poor, And the cry of the afflicted He heareth.
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].
29 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.
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,
30 From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;
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].
31 For unto God hath any said: 'I have taken away, I do not corruptly,
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 Besides [that which] I see, shew Thou me, If iniquity I have done — I do not add?'
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 By thee doth He recompense, That thou hast refused — That thou dost choose, and not I? And what thou hast known, speak.
[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.
34 Let men of heart say to me, And a wise man is hearkening to me.
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 Job — not with knowledge doth he speak, And his words [are] not with wisdom.
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 My Father! let Job be tried — unto victory, Because of answers for men of iniquity,
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.
37 For he doth add to his sin, Transgression among us he vomiteth, And multiplieth his sayings to God.
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].”
