Job 34 (New American Standard)

Elihu Vindicates God's Justice

1 Then Elihu continued and said, 2 "Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who know. 3 "For ¹the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. 4 "Let us choose for ourselves what is right ; Let us know among ourselves what is good. 5 "For Job has said, '²I am righteous, But ³God has taken away my right ; 6 ^aShould I lie concerning my right ? My ^b4wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.' 7 "What man is like Job, Who ⁵drinks up derision like water, 8 Who goes ⁶in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men ? 9 "For he has said, '⁷It profits a man nothing When he ^cis pleased with God.' 10 "Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to ⁸do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong. 11 "For He pays a man according to ⁹his work, And makes ^dhim find it according to his way. 12 "Surely , ¹⁰God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice. 13 "Who ¹¹gave Him authority over the earth ? And who ¹²has laid on Him the whole world ? 14 "If He should ^edetermine to do so, If He should ¹³gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, 15 All ¹⁴flesh would perish together, And man would ¹⁵return to dust. 16 "But if you have understanding, hear this ; Listen to the sound of my words. 17 "Shall ¹⁶one who hates justice rule ? And ¹⁷will you condemn the righteous mighty One, 18 Who says to a king, 'Worthless one,' To nobles, 'Wicked ones '; 19 Who shows no ¹⁸partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the ¹⁹work of His hands ? 20 "In a moment they die, and ²⁰at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And ²¹the mighty are taken away without a hand. 21 "For ²²His eyes are upon the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps. 22 "There is ²³no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23 "For He does not ²⁴need to consider a man further, That he should go before God in judgment. 24 "He breaks in pieces ²⁵mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place. 25 "Therefore He ²⁶knows their works, And ²⁷He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed. 26 "He ²⁸strikes them like the wicked ^fIn a public place, 27 Because they ²⁹turned aside from following Him, And ³⁰had no regard for any of His ways ; 28 So that they caused ³¹the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He might ³²hear the cry of the afflicted - 29 When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn ? And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him, That is, in regard to both nation and man ?- 30 So that ³³godless men would not rule Nor be snares of the people. 31 "For has anyone said to God, 'I have borne chastisement; I will not offend anymore; 32 Teach me what I do not see ; If I have ³⁴done iniquity, I will not do it again '? 33 "Shall He ³⁵recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know. 34 "Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me, 35 'Job ³⁶speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom. 36 'Job ought to be tried ^gto the limit, Because he answers ³⁷like wicked men. 37 'For he adds ³⁸rebellion to his sin ; He ³⁹claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.' "