Job 36 (New American Standard)

Elihu Speaks of God's Dealings with Men

1 Then Elihu continued and said, 2 "Wait for me a little, and I will show you That there ^ais yet more to be said in God's behalf. 3 "I will fetch my knowledge from afar, And I will ascribe ¹righteousness to my Maker. 4 "For truly ²my words are not false ; One who is ³perfect in knowledge is with you. 5 "Behold, God is mighty but does not ⁴despise any; He is ⁵mighty in strength of understanding. 6 "He does not ⁶keep the wicked alive, But gives justice to ⁷the afflicted. 7 "He does not ⁸withdraw His eyes from the righteous ; But ⁹with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted. 8 "And if they are bound in fetters, And are caught in the cords of ¹⁰affliction, 9 Then He declares to them their work And their transgressions, that they have ¹¹magnified themselves. 10 "¹²He opens their ear to instruction, And ¹³commands that they return from evil. 11 "If they hear and serve Him, They will ¹⁴end their days in prosperity And their years in ¹⁵pleasures. 12 "But if they do not hear, they shall ^bperish ¹⁶by the sword And they will ¹⁷die without knowledge. 13 "But the godless in heart lay up anger ; They do not cry for help when He binds them. 14 "^cThey die in youth, And their life perishes among the ¹⁸cult prostitutes. 15 "He delivers the afflicted in ^dtheir ¹⁹affliction, And ²⁰opens their ear ^ein time of oppression. 16 "Then indeed, He ²¹enticed you from the mouth of distress, Instead of it, a broad place with no constraint ; And that which was set on your table was full of ^ffatness. 17 "But you were full of ²²judgment on the wicked ; Judgment and justice take hold of you. 18 "Beware that ²³wrath does not entice you to scoffing ; And do not let the greatness of the ²⁴ransom turn you aside. 19 "Will your ^griches keep you from distress, Or all the forces of your strength ? 20 "Do not long for ²⁵the night, When people ^hvanish in their place. 21 "Be careful, do ²⁶not turn to evil, For you have preferred this to ²⁷affliction. 22 "Behold, God is exalted in His power ; Who is a ²⁸teacher like Him? 23 "Who has appointed Him His way, And who has said, '²⁹You have done wrong '? 24 "Remember that you should ³⁰exalt His work, Of which men have ³¹sung. 25 "All men have seen it; Man beholds from afar. 26 "Behold, God is ³²exalted, and ³³we do not know Him; The ³⁴number of His years is unsearchable . 27 "For ³⁵He draws up the drops of water, They distill rain from ⁱthe ^jmist, 28 Which the clouds pour down, They drip upon man abundantly. 29 "Can anyone understand the ³⁶spreading of the clouds, The ³⁷thundering of His ^kpavilion ? 30 "Behold, He spreads His ^llightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea. 31 "For by these He ³⁸judges peoples ; He ³⁹gives food in abundance. 32 "He covers His hands with the ^mlightning, And ⁴⁰commands it to strike the mark. 33 "Its ⁴¹noise declares ⁿHis presence ; The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.