איוב 34
| וַיַּעַן אֱלִיהוּא וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ | 1 |
Then Elihu continued:
| שִׁמְעוּ חֲכָמִים מִלָּי וְיֹֽדְעִים הַֽאֲזִינוּ לִֽי׃ | 2 |
“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.
| כִּי־אֹזֶן מִלִּין תִּבְחָן וְחֵךְ יִטְעַם לֶאֱכֹֽל׃ | 3 |
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].
| מִשְׁפָּט נִבְחֲרָה־לָּנוּ נֵדְעָה בֵינֵינוּ מַה־טּֽוֹב׃ | 4 |
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
| כִּֽי־אָמַר אִיּוֹב צָדַקְתִּי וְאֵל הֵסִיר מִשְׁפָּטִֽי׃ | 5 |
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
| עַל־מִשְׁפָּטִי אֲכַזֵּב אָנוּשׁ חִצִּי בְלִי־פָֽשַׁע׃ | 6 |
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.’
| מִי־גֶבֶר כְּאִיּוֹב יִֽשְׁתֶּה־לַּעַג כַּמָּֽיִם׃ | 7 |
(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]
| וְאָרַח לְחֶבְרָה עִם־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן וְלָלֶכֶת עִם־אַנְשֵׁי־רֶֽשַׁע׃ | 8 |
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
| כִּֽי־אָמַר לֹא יִסְכׇּן־גָּבֶר בִּרְצֹתוֹ עִם־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 9 |
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
| לָכֵן ׀ אַנְשֵׁי לֵבָב שִׁמְעוּ ־ לִי חָלִלָה לָאֵל מֵרֶשַׁע וְשַׁדַּי מֵעָֽוֶל׃ | 10 |
“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]!
| כִּי פֹעַל אָדָם יְשַׁלֶּם־לוֹ וּֽכְאֹרַח אִישׁ יַמְצִאֶֽנּוּ׃ | 11 |
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.
| אַף־אׇמְנָם אֵל לֹֽא־יַרְשִׁיעַ וְשַׁדַּי לֹא־יְעַוֵּת מִשְׁפָּֽט׃ | 12 |
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
| מִֽי־פָקַד עָלָיו אָרְצָה וּמִי שָׂם תֵּבֵל כֻּלָּֽהּ׃ | 13 |
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].
| אִם־יָשִׂים אֵלָיו לִבּוֹ רוּחוֹ וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ אֵלָיו יֶאֱסֹֽף׃ | 14 |
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
| יִגְוַע כׇּל־בָּשָׂר יָחַד וְאָדָם עַל־עָפָר יָשֽׁוּב׃ | 15 |
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
| וְאִם־בִּינָה שִׁמְעָה־זֹּאת הַאֲזִינָה לְקוֹל מִלָּֽי׃ | 16 |
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
| הַאַף שׂוֹנֵא מִשְׁפָּט יַחֲבוֹשׁ וְאִם־צַדִּיק כַּבִּיר תַּרְשִֽׁיעַ׃ | 17 |
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]?
| הַאֲמֹר לְמֶלֶךְ בְּלִיָּעַל רָשָׁע אֶל־נְדִיבִֽים׃ | 18 |
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
| אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא־נָשָׂא ׀ פְּנֵי שָׂרִים וְלֹא נִכַּר־שׁוֹעַ לִפְנֵי־דָל כִּֽי־מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו כֻּלָּֽם׃ | 19 |
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.
| רֶגַע ׀ יָמֻתוּ וַחֲצוֹת לָיְלָה יְגֹעֲשׁוּ עָם וְיַעֲבֹרוּ וְיָסִירוּ אַבִּיר לֹא בְיָֽד׃ | 20 |
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].
| כִּֽי־עֵינָיו עַל־דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ וְֽכׇל־צְעָדָיו יִרְאֶֽה׃ | 21 |
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
| אֵֽין־חֹשֶׁךְ וְאֵין צַלְמָוֶת לְהִסָּתֶר שָׁם פֹּעֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃ | 22 |
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
| כִּי לֹא עַל־אִישׁ יָשִׂים עוֹד לַהֲלֹךְ אֶל־אֵל בַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃ | 23 |
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].
| יָרֹעַ כַּבִּירִים לֹא־חֵקֶר וַיַּעֲמֵד אֲחֵרִים תַּחְתָּֽם׃ | 24 |
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
| לָכֵן יַכִּיר מַעְבָּדֵיהֶם וְהָפַךְ לַיְלָה וְיִדַּכָּֽאוּ׃ | 25 |
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
| תַּֽחַת־רְשָׁעִים סְפָקָם בִּמְקוֹם רֹאִֽים׃ | 26 |
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
| אֲשֶׁר עַל־כֵּן סָרוּ מֵאַחֲרָיו וְכׇל־דְּרָכָיו לֹא הִשְׂכִּֽילוּ׃ | 27 |
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.
| לְהָבִיא עָלָיו צַעֲקַת־דָּל וְצַעֲקַת עֲנִיִּים יִשְׁמָֽע׃ | 28 |
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].
| וְהוּא יַשְׁקִט ׀ וּמִי יַרְשִׁעַ וְיַסְתֵּר פָּנִים וּמִי יְשׁוּרֶנּוּ וְעַל־גּוֹי וְעַל־אָדָם יָֽחַד׃ | 29 |
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,
| מִמְּלֹךְ אָדָם חָנֵף מִמֹּקְשֵׁי עָֽם׃ | 30 |
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].
| כִּֽי־אֶל־אֵל הֶאָמַר נָשָׂאתִי לֹא אֶחְבֹּֽל׃ | 31 |
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
| בִּלְעֲדֵי אֶחֱזֶה אַתָּה הֹרֵנִי אִֽם־עָוֶל פָּעַלְתִּי לֹא אֹסִֽיף׃ | 32 |
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
| הֲֽמֵעִמְּךָ יְשַׁלְּמֶנָּה ׀ כִּֽי־מָאַסְתָּ כִּֽי־אַתָּה תִבְחַר וְלֹא־אָנִי וּֽמַה־יָּדַעְתָּ דַבֵּֽר׃ | 33 |
[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.
| אַנְשֵׁי לֵבָב יֹאמְרוּ לִי וְגֶבֶר חָכָם שֹׁמֵעַֽ לִֽי׃ | 34 |
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
| אִיּוֹב לֹא־בְדַעַת יְדַבֵּר וּדְבָרָיו לֹא בְהַשְׂכֵּֽיל׃ | 35 |
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
| אָבִי יִבָּחֵן אִיּוֹב עַד־נֶצַח עַל־תְּשֻׁבֹת בְּאַנְשֵׁי־אָֽוֶן׃ | 36 |
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.
| כִּי יֹסִיף עַֽל־חַטָּאתוֹ פֶשַׁע בֵּינֵינוּ יִשְׂפּוֹק וְיֶרֶב אֲמָרָיו לָאֵֽל׃ | 37 |
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].”
