Ἰώβ 34
1 ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ελιους λέγει
Then Elihu continued:
2 ἀκούσατέ μου σοφοί ἐπιστάμενοι ἐνωτίζεσθε τὸ καλόν
“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 ὅτι οὖς λόγους δοκιμάζει καὶ λάρυγξ γεύεται βρῶσιν
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 κρίσιν ἑλώμεθα ἑαυτοῖς γνῶμεν ἀνὰ μέσον ἑαυτῶν ὅ τι καλόν
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 ὅτι εἴρηκεν Ιωβ δίκαιός εἰμι ὁ κύριος ἀπήλλαξέν μου τὸ κρίμα
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 ἐψεύσατο δὲ τῷ κρίματί μου βίαιον τὸ βέλος μου ἄνευ ἀδικίας
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 τίς ἀνὴρ ὥσπερ Ιωβ πίνων μυκτηρισμὸν ὥσπερ ὕδωρ
(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 οὐχ ἁμαρτὼν οὐδὲ ἀσεβήσας ἢ ὁδοῦ κοινωνήσας μετὰ ποιούντων τὰ ἄνομα τοῦ πορευθῆναι μετὰ ἀσεβῶν
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 μὴ γὰρ εἴπῃς ὅτι οὐκ ἔσται ἐπισκοπὴ ἀνδρός καὶ ἐπισκοπὴ αὐτῷ παρὰ κυρίου
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 διό συνετοὶ καρδίας ἀκούσατέ μου μή μοι εἴη ἔναντι κυρίου ἀσεβῆσαι καὶ ἔναντι παντοκράτορος ταράξαι τὸ δίκαιον
“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 ἀλλὰ ἀποδιδοῖ ἀνθρώπῳ καθὰ ποιεῖ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν τρίβῳ ἀνδρὸς εὑρήσει αὐτόν
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 οἴῃ δὲ τὸν κύριον ἄτοπα ποιήσειν ἢ ὁ παντοκράτωρ ταράξει κρίσιν
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 ὃς ἐποίησεν τὴν γῆν τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ὑπ’ οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ ἐνόντα πάντα
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 εἰ γὰρ βούλοιτο συνέχειν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα παρ’ αὐτῷ κατασχεῖν
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 τελευτήσει πᾶσα σὰρξ ὁμοθυμαδόν πᾶς δὲ βροτὸς εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσεται ὅθεν καὶ ἐπλάσθη
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 εἰ δὲ μὴ νουθετῇ ἄκουε ταῦτα ἐνωτίζου φωνὴν ῥημάτων
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 ἰδὲ σὺ τὸν μισοῦντα ἄνομα καὶ τὸν ὀλλύντα τοὺς πονηροὺς ὄντα αἰώνιον δίκαιον
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 ἀσεβὴς ὁ λέγων βασιλεῖ παρανομεῖς ἀσεβέστατε τοῖς ἄρχουσιν
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 ὃς οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνθη πρόσωπον ἐντίμου οὐδὲ οἶδεν τιμὴν θέσθαι ἁδροῖς θαυμασθῆναι πρόσωπα αὐτῶν
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 κενὰ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀποβήσεται τὸ κεκραγέναι καὶ δεῖσθαι ἀνδρός ἐχρήσαντο γὰρ παρανόμως ἐκκλινομένων ἀδυνάτων
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 αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁρατής ἐστιν ἔργων ἀνθρώπων λέληθεν δὲ αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ὧν πράσσουσιν
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 οὐδὲ ἔσται τόπος τοῦ κρυβῆναι τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὰ ἄνομα
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 ὅτι οὐκ ἐπ’ ἄνδρα θήσει ἔτι ὁ γὰρ κύριος πάντας ἐφορᾷ
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 ὁ καταλαμβάνων ἀνεξιχνίαστα ἔνδοξά τε καὶ ἐξαίσια ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 ὁ γνωρίζων αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα καὶ στρέψει νύκτα καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 ἔσβεσεν δὲ ἀσεβεῖς ὁρατοὶ δὲ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 ὅτι ἐξέκλιναν ἐκ νόμου θεοῦ δικαιώματα δὲ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν
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 τοῦ ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν κραυγὴν πένητος καὶ κραυγὴν πτωχῶν εἰσακούσεται
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 καὶ αὐτὸς ἡσυχίαν παρέξει καὶ τίς καταδικάσεται καὶ κρύψει πρόσωπον καὶ τίς ὄψεται αὐτόν καὶ κατὰ ἔθνους καὶ κατὰ ἀνθρώπου ὁμοῦ
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 βασιλεύων ἄνθρωπον ὑποκριτὴν ἀπὸ δυσκολίας λαοῦ
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 ὅτι πρὸς τὸν ἰσχυρὸν ὁ λέγων εἴληφα οὐκ ἐνεχυράσω
“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 ἄνευ ἐμαυτοῦ ὄψομαι σὺ δεῖξόν μοι εἰ ἀδικίαν ἠργασάμην οὐ μὴ προσθήσω
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 μὴ παρὰ σοῦ ἀποτείσει αὐτήν ὅτι ἀπώσῃ ὅτι σὺ ἐκλέξῃ καὶ οὐκ ἐγώ καὶ τί ἔγνως λάλησον
[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 διὸ συνετοὶ καρδίας ἐροῦσιν ταῦτα ἀνὴρ δὲ σοφὸς ἀκήκοέν μου τὸ ῥῆμα
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 Ιωβ δὲ οὐκ ἐν συνέσει ἐλάλησεν τὰ δὲ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ μάθε Ιωβ μὴ δῷς ἔτι ἀνταπόκρισιν ὥσπερ οἱ ἄφρονες
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 ἵνα μὴ προσθῶμεν ἐφ’ ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν ἀνομία δὲ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν λογισθήσεται πολλὰ λαλούντων ῥήματα ἐναντίον τοῦ κυρίου
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].”
