The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Elihu went on to say:
1
And Elihu made answer and said,
2 "Are you so convinced you are right, that you say, 'I am more just than God'?
2
Does it seem to you to be right, and righteousness before God, to say,
3 For you ask what advantage it is to you, 'How do I gain from not sinning?'
3
What profit is it to me, and how am I better off than if I had done wrong?
4 "Here is my answer to you, to you and to your friends:
4
I will make answer to you and to your friends:
5 Look at the heavens and see; observe the skies, high above you.
5
Let your eyes be turned to the heavens, and lifted up to see the skies; they are higher than you.
6 If you sin, how do you hurt him? If your crimes are many, how do you affect him?
6
If you have done wrong, is he any the worse for it? and if your sins are great in number, what is it to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give him? What benefit does he get from you?
7
If you are upright, what do you give to him? or what does he take from your hand?
8 Your wickedness can affect only others like you, and your righteousness only other human beings.
8
Your evil-doing may have an effect on a man like yourself, or your righteousness on a son of man.
9 People cry out from under many oppressions; they cry for help from under the fist of the mighty.
9
Because the hand of the cruel is hard on them, men are making sounds of grief; they are crying out for help because of the arm of the strong.
10 But no one asks, 'Where is God my maker, who causes glad songs to ring out at night,
10
But no one has said, Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night;
11 who teaches us more than he teaches wild animals and makes us wiser than the birds in the air?'
11
Who gives us more knowledge than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the heaven?
12 They may cry out, but no one answers, because of evil men's pride.
12
There they are crying out because of the pride of the evil-doers, but he gives them no answer.
13 For God will not listen to empty cries; Shaddai pays no attention to them.
13
But God will not give ear to what is false, or the Ruler of all take note of it;
14 All the more when you say that you don't see him! Just be patient; he's considering the matter.
14
How much less when you say that you do not see him; that the cause is before him, and you are waiting for him.
15 But now, just because he doesn't get angry and punish, does it mean he doesn't know what arrogance is?
15
And now ... ;
16 So Iyov is being futile when he opens his mouth; he is piling up words without knowledge."
16
And Job's mouth is open wide to give out what is of no profit, increasing words without knowledge.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.