Job 36
1 And Elihu addeth and saith: —
Elihu also proceeded, and said:
2 Honour me a little, and I shew thee, That yet for God [are] words.
Bear with me a little while, that I may show thee! For I have yet words in behalf of God.
3 I lift up my knowledge from afar, And to my Maker I ascribe righteousness.
I will bring my knowledge from afar, And assert the justice of my Maker.
4 For, truly, my words [are] not false, The perfect in knowledge [is] with thee.
Truly my words shall not be false: A man of sound knowledge is before thee.
5 Lo, God [is] mighty, and despiseth not, Mighty [in] power [and] heart.
Behold, God is great, but despiseth not any; Great is he in strength of understanding.
6 He reviveth not the wicked, And the judgment of the poor appointeth;
He suffereth not the wicked to prosper, But rendereth justice to the oppressed.
7 He withdraweth not from the righteous His eyes, And [from] kings on the throne, And causeth them to sit for ever, and they are high,
He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous; But establisheth them for ever with kings on the throne, That they may be exalted.
8 And if prisoners in fetters They are captured with cords of affliction,
And if they be bound in fetters, And holden in the cords of affliction,
9 Then He declareth to them their work, And their transgressions, Because they have become mighty,
Then showeth he them their deeds, And how they have set him at defiance by their transgressions;
10 And He uncovereth their ear for instruction, And saith that they turn back from iniquity.
He also openeth their ears to admonition, And commandeth them to return from iniquity.
11 If they do hear and serve, They complete their days in good, And their years in pleasantness.
If they obey and serve him, They spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.
12 And if they do not hearken, By the dart they pass away, And expire without knowledge.
But if they obey not, they perish by the sword; They die in their own folly.
13 And the profane in heart set the face, They cry not when He hath bound them.
The corrupt in heart treasure up wrath; They cry not to God, when he bindeth them.
14 Their soul dieth in youth, And their life among the defiled.
They die in their youth; They close their lives with the unclean.
15 He draweth out the afflicted in his affliction, And uncovereth in oppression their ear.
But he delivereth the poor in their distress; He openeth their ears in affliction.
16 And also He moved thee from a strait place, [To] a broad place — no straitness under it, And the sitting beyond of thy table Hath been full of fatness.
He will bring thee also from the jaws of distress To a broad place, where is no straitness; And the provision of thy table shall be full of fatness.
17 And the judgment of the wicked thou hast fulfilled, Judgment and justice are upheld — because of fury,
But if thou art full of the judgment of the wicked, Judgment and justice shall take hold of thee.
18 Lest He move thee with a stroke, And the abundance of an atonement turn thee not aside.
For if wrath be with him, beware lest he take thee away by his stroke, So that a great ransom shall not save thee!
19 Doth He value thy riches? He hath gold, and all the forces of power.
Will he esteem thy riches? No! neither thy gold, nor all the abundance of thy wealth.
20 Desire not the night, For the going up of peoples in their stead.
Long not thou for that night To which nations are taken away from their place.
21 Take heed — do not turn unto iniquity, For on this thou hast fixed Rather than [on] affliction.
Take heed, turn not thine eyes to iniquity! For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
22 Lo, God doth sit on high by His power, Who [is] like Him — a teacher?
Behold, God is exalted in his power: Who is a teacher like him?
23 Who hath appointed unto Him his way? And who said, 'Thou hast done iniquity?'
Who hath prescribed to him his way? Or who can say to him, “Thou hast done wrong”?
24 Remember that thou magnify His work That men have beheld.
Forget not to magnify his work, Which men celebrate with songs.
25 All men have looked on it, Man looketh attentively from afar.
All mankind gaze upon it; Mortals behold it from afar.
26 Lo, God [is] high, And we know not the number of His years, Yea, there [is] no searching.
Behold, God is great; we cannot know him, Nor search out the number of his years.
27 When He doth diminish droppings of the waters, They refine rain according to its vapour,
Lo! he draweth up the drops of water, Which distil rain from his vapor;
28 Which clouds do drop, They distil on man abundantly.
The clouds pour it down, And drop it upon man in abundance.
29 Yea, doth [any] understand The spreadings out of a cloud? The noises of His tabernacle?
Who can understand the spreading of his clouds, And the rattling of his pavilion?
30 Lo, He hath spread over it His light, And the roots of the sea He hath covered,
Behold, he spreadeth around himself his light, And he clotheth himself with the depths of the sea.
31 For by them He doth judge peoples, He giveth food in abundance.
By these he punisheth nations, And by these he giveth food in abundance.
32 By two palms He hath covered the light, And layeth a charge over it in meeting,
His hands he covereth with lightning; He giveth it commandment against an enemy.
33 He sheweth by it [to] his friend substance, Anger against perversity.
His thunder maketh him known; Yea, to the herds, as he ascendeth on high.
