The Speeches of Elihu (JOB 32:1-37:24)

[32:1] Because Job was convinced of his own innocence, the three men gave up trying to answer him.

[32:2] But a bystander named Elihu could not control his anger any longer, because Job was justifying himself and blaming God. (Elihu was the son of Barakel, a descendant of Buz, and belonged to the clan of Ram.)

[32:3] He was also angry with Job's three friends. They could not find any way to answer Job, and this made it appear that God was in the wrong.

[32:4] Because Elihu was the youngest one there, he had waited until everyone finished speaking.

[32:5] When he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he was angry

[32:6] and began to speak.

Elihu

I am young, and you are old, so I was afraid to tell you what I think.

[32:7] I told myself that you ought to speak, that you older men should share your wisdom.

[32:8] But it is the spirit of Almighty God that comes to us and gives us wisdom.

[32:9] It is not growing old that makes us wise or helps us to know what is right.

[32:10] So now I want you to listen to me; let me tell you what I think.

[32:11] I listened patiently while you were speaking and waited while you searched for wise phrases.

[32:12] I paid close attention and heard you fail; you have not disproved what Job has said.

[32:13] How can you claim you have discovered wisdom? God must answer Job, for you have failed.

[32:14] Job was speaking to you, not to me, but I would never answer the way you did.

[32:15] Words have failed them, Job; they have no answer for you.

[32:16] Shall I go on waiting when they are silent? They stand there with nothing more to say.

[32:17] No, I will give my own answer now and tell you what I think.

[32:18] I can hardly wait to speak. I can't hold back the words.

[32:19] If I don't get a chance to speak, I will burst like a wineskin full of new wine.

[32:20] I can't stand it; I have to speak.

[32:21] I will not take sides in this debate; I am not going to flatter anyone.

[32:22] I don't know how to flatter, and God would quickly punish me if I did.

[33:1] And now, Job, listen carefully to all that I have to say.

[33:2] I am ready to say what's on my mind.

[33:3] All my words are sincere, and I am speaking the truth.

[33:4] God's spirit made me and gave me life.

[33:5] Answer me if you can. Prepare your arguments.

[33:6] You and I are the same in God's sight, both of us were formed from clay.

[33:7] So you have no reason to fear me; I will not overpower you.

[33:8] Now this is what I heard you say:

[33:9] “I am not guilty; I have done nothing wrong. I am innocent and free from sin.

[33:10] But God finds excuses for attacking me and treats me like an enemy.

[33:11] He binds chains on my feet; he watches every move I make.”

[33:12] But I tell you, Job, you are wrong. God is greater than any human being.

[33:13] Why do you accuse God of never answering our complaints?

[33:14] Although God speaks again and again, no one pays attention to what he says.

[33:15] At night when people are asleep, God speaks in dreams and visions.

[33:16] He makes them listen to what he says, and they are frightened at his warnings.

[33:17] God speaks to make them stop their sinning and to save them from becoming proud.

[33:18] He will not let them be destroyed; he saves them from death itself.

[33:19] God corrects us by sending sickness and filling our bodies with pain.

[33:20] Those who are sick lose their appetites, and even the finest food looks revolting.

[33:21] Their bodies waste away to nothing; you can see all their bones;

[33:22] they are about to go to the world of the dead.

[33:23] Perhaps an angel may come to their aid— one of God's thousands of angels, who remind us of our duty.

[33:24] In mercy the angel will say, “Release them! They are not to go down to the world of the dead. Here is the ransom to set them free.”

[33:25] Their bodies will grow young and strong again;

[33:26] when they pray, God will answer; they will worship God with joy; God will set things right for them again.

[33:27] Each one will say in public, “I have sinned. I have not done right, but God spared me.

[33:28] He kept me from going to the world of the dead, and I am still alive.”

[33:29] God does all this again and again;

[33:30] each one saves a person's life, and gives him the joy of living.

[33:31] Now, Job, listen to what I am saying; be quiet and let me speak.

[33:32] But if you have something to say, let me hear it; I would gladly admit you are in the right.

[33:33] But if not, be quiet and listen to me, and I will teach you how to be wise. listen now to what I am saying.

[34:3] You know good food when you taste it, but not wise words when you hear them.

[34:4] It is up to us to decide the case.

[34:5] Job claims that he is innocent, that God refuses to give him justice.

[34:6] He asks, “How could I lie and say I am wrong? I am fatally wounded, but I am sinless.”

[34:7] Have you ever seen anyone like this man Job? He never shows respect for God.

[34:8] He likes the company of evil people and goes around with sinners.

[34:9] He says that it never does any good to try to follow God's will.

[34:10] Listen to me, you men who understand! Will Almighty God do what is wrong?

[34:11] He rewards people for what they do and treats them as they deserve.

[34:12] Almighty God does not do evil; he is never unjust to anyone.

[34:13] Did God get his power from someone else? Did someone put him in charge of the world?

[34:14] If God took back the breath of life,

[34:15] then everyone living would die and turn into dust again.

[34:16] Now listen to me, if you are wise.

[34:17] Are you condemning the righteous God? Do you think that he hates justice?

[34:18] God condemns kings and rulers when they are worthless or wicked.

[34:19] He does not take the side of rulers nor favor the rich over the poor, for he created everyone.

[34:20] We may suddenly die at night. God strikes us down and we perish; he kills the mighty with no effort at all.

[34:21] He watches every step we take.

[34:22] There is no darkness dark enough to hide a sinner from God.

[34:23] God does not need to set a time for us to go and be judged by him.

[34:24] He does not need an investigation to remove leaders and replace them with others.

[34:25] Because he knows what they do; he overthrows them and crushes them by night.

[34:26] He punishes sinners where all can see it,

[34:27] because they have stopped following him and ignored all his commands.

[34:28] They forced the poor to cry out to God, and he heard their calls for help.

[34:29] If God decided to do nothing at all, no one could criticize him. If he hid his face, we would be helpless.

[34:30] There would be nothing that nations could do to keep godless oppressors from ruling them.

[34:31] Job, have you confessed your sins to God and promised not to sin again?

[34:32] Have you asked God to show you your faults, and have you agreed to stop doing evil?

[34:33] Since you object to what God does, can you expect him to do what you want? The decision is yours, not mine; tell us now what you think.

[34:34] Any sensible person will surely agree; and the wise who hear me will say

[34:35] that Job is speaking from ignorance and that nothing he says makes sense.

[34:36] Think through everything that Job says; you will see that he talks like an evil man.

[34:37] To his sins he adds rebellion; in front of us all he mocks God. that you are innocent in God's sight,

[35:3] or to ask God, “How does my sin affect you? What have I gained by not sinning?”

[35:4] I am going to answer you and your friends too.

[35:5] Look at the sky! See how high the clouds are!

[35:6] If you sin, that does no harm to God. If you do wrong many times, does that affect him?

[35:7] Do you help God by being so righteous? There is nothing God needs from you.

[35:8] Others suffer from your sins, and the good you do helps them.

[35:9] When people are oppressed, they groan; they cry for someone to save them.

[35:10] But they don't turn to God, their Creator, who gives them hope in their darkest hours.

[35:11] They don't turn to God, who makes us wise, wiser than any animal or bird.

[35:12] They cry for help, but God doesn't answer, for they are proud and evil.

[35:13] It is useless for them to cry out; Almighty God does not see or hear them.

[35:14] Job, you say you can't see God; but wait patiently—your case is before him.

[35:15] You think that God does not punish, that he pays little attention to sin.

[35:16] It is useless for you to go on talking; it is clear you don't know what you are saying. to what I am saying on God's behalf.

[36:3] My knowledge is wide; I will use what I know to show that God, my Creator, is just.

[36:4] Nothing I say to you is false; you see before you a truly wise man.

[36:5] How strong God is! He despises no one; there is nothing he doesn't understand.

[36:6] He does not let sinners live on, and he always treats the poor with justice.

[36:7] He protects those who are righteous; he allows them to rule like kings and lets them be honored forever.

[36:8] But if people are bound in chains, suffering for what they have done,

[36:9] God shows them their sins and their pride.

[36:10] He makes them listen to his warning to turn away from evil.

[36:11] If they obey God and serve him, they live out their lives in peace and prosperity.

[36:12] But if not, they will die in ignorance and cross the stream into the world of the dead.

[36:13] Those who are godless keep on being angry, and even when punished, they don't pray for help.

[36:14] They die while they are still young, worn out by a life of disgrace.

[36:15] But God teaches people through suffering and uses distress to open their eyes.

[36:16] God brought you out of trouble, and let you enjoy security; your table was piled high with food.

[36:17] But now you are being punished as you deserve.

[36:18] Be careful not to let bribes deceive you, or riches lead you astray.

[36:19] It will do you no good to cry out for help; all your strength can't help you now.

[36:20] Don't wish for night to come, the time when nations will perish.

[36:21] Be careful not to turn to evil; your suffering was sent to keep you from it.

[36:22] Remember how great is God's power; he is the greatest teacher of all.

[36:23] No one can tell God what to do or accuse him of doing evil.

[36:24] He has always been praised for what he does; you also must praise him.

[36:25] Everyone has seen what he has done; but we can only watch from a distance.

[36:26] We cannot fully know his greatness or count the number of his years.

[36:27] It is God who takes water from the earth and turns it into drops of rain.

[36:28] He lets the rain pour from the clouds in showers for all human beings.

[36:29] No one knows how the clouds move or how the thunder roars through the sky, where God dwells.

[36:30] He sends lightning through all the sky, but the depths of the sea remain dark.

[36:31] This is how he feeds the people and provides an abundance of food.

[36:32] He seizes the lightning with his hands and commands it to hit the mark.

[36:33] Thunder announces the approaching storm, and the cattle know it is coming.

[37:1] The storm makes my heart beat wildly.

[37:2] Listen, all of you, to the voice of God, to the thunder that comes from his mouth.

[37:3] He sends the lightning across the sky, from one end of the earth to the other.

[37:4] Then the roar of his voice is heard, the majestic sound of thunder, and all the while the lightning flashes.

[37:5] At God's command amazing things happen, wonderful things that we can't understand.

[37:6] He commands snow to fall on the earth, and sends torrents of drenching rain.

[37:7] He brings our work to a stop; he shows us what he can do.

[37:8] The wild animals go to their dens.

[37:9] The storm winds come from the south, and the biting cold from the north.

[37:10] The breath of God freezes the waters, and turns them to solid ice.

[37:11] Lightning flashes from the clouds,

[37:12] as they move at God's will. They do all that God commands, everywhere throughout the world.

[37:13] God sends rain to water the earth; he may send it to punish us, or to show us his favor.

[37:14] Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does.

[37:15] Do you know how God gives the command and makes lightning flash from the clouds?

[37:16] Do you know how clouds float in the sky, the work of God's amazing skill?

[37:17] No, you can only suffer in the heat when the south wind oppresses the land.

[37:18] Can you help God stretch out the sky and make it as hard as polished metal?

[37:19] Teach us what to say to God; our minds are blank; we have nothing to say.

[37:20] I won't ask to speak with God; why should I give him a chance to destroy me?

[37:21] And now the light in the sky is dazzling, too bright for us to look at it; and the sky has been swept clean by the wind.

[37:22] A golden glow is seen in the north, and the glory of God fills us with awe.

[37:23] God's power is so great that we cannot come near him; he is righteous and just in his dealings with us.

[37:24] No wonder, then, that everyone is awed by him, and that he ignores those who claim to be wise.