The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 And Elihu went on to say,
1
Be patient and listen a little longer to what I am saying on God's behalf.
2 Give me a little more time, and I will make it clear to you; for I have still something to say for God.
3 I will get my knowledge from far, and I will give righteousness to my Maker.
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My knowledge is wide; I will use what I know to show that God, my Creator, is just.
4 For truly my words are not false; one who has all knowledge is talking with you.
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Nothing I say to you is false; you see before you a truly wise man.
5 Truly, God gives up the hard-hearted, and will not give life to the sinner.
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How strong God is! He despises no one; there is nothing he doesn't understand.
6 His eyes are ever on the upright, and he gives to the crushed their right;
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He does not let sinners live on, and he always treats the poor with justice.
7 Lifting them up to the seat of kings, and making them safe for ever.
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He protects those who are righteous; he allows them to rule like kings and lets them be honored forever.
8 And if they have been prisoned in chains, and taken in cords of trouble,
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But if people are bound in chains, suffering for what they have done,
9 Then he makes clear to them what they have done, even their evil works in which they have taken pride.
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God shows them their sins and their pride.
10 Their ear is open to his teaching, and he gives them orders so that their hearts may be turned from evil.
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He makes them listen to his warning to turn away from evil.
11 If they give ear to his voice, and do his word, then he gives them long life, and years full of pleasure.
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If they obey God and serve him, they live out their lives in peace and prosperity.
12 But if not, they come to their end, and give up their breath without knowledge.
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But if not, they will die in ignorance and cross the stream into the world of the dead.
13 Those who have no fear of God keep wrath stored up in their hearts; they give no cry for help when they are made prisoners.
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Those who are godless keep on being angry, and even when punished, they don't pray for help.
14 They come to their end while they are still young, their life is short like that of those who are used for sex purposes in the worship of their gods.
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They die while they are still young, worn out by a life of disgrace.
15 He makes the wrong done to the poor the way of their salvation, opening their ears by their trouble.
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But God teaches people through suffering and uses distress to open their eyes.
16 ...
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God brought you out of trouble, and let you enjoy security; your table was piled high with food.
17 ...
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But now you are being punished as you deserve.
18 ...
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Be careful not to let bribes deceive you, or riches lead you astray.
19 ...
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It will do you no good to cry out for help; all your strength can't help you now.
20 ...
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Don't wish for night to come, the time when nations will perish.
21 Take care not to be turned to sin, for you have taken evil for your part in place of sorrow.
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Be careful not to turn to evil; your suffering was sent to keep you from it.
22 Truly God is lifted up in strength; who is a ruler like him?
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Remember how great is God's power; he is the greatest teacher of all.
23 Who ever gave orders to him, or said to him, You have done wrong?
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No one can tell God what to do or accuse him of doing evil.
24 See that you give praise to his work, about which men make songs.
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He has always been praised for what he does; you also must praise him.
25 All people are looking on it; man sees it from far.
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Everyone has seen what he has done; but we can only watch from a distance.
26 Truly, God is great, greater than all our knowledge; the number of his years may not be searched out.
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We cannot fully know his greatness or count the number of his years.
27 For he takes up the drops from the sea; he sends them through his mist as rain,
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It is God who takes water from the earth and turns it into drops of rain.
28 Flowing down from the sky, and dropping on the peoples.
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He lets the rain pour from the clouds in showers for all human beings.
29 And who has knowledge of how the clouds are stretched out, or of the thunders of his tent?
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No one knows how the clouds move or how the thunder roars through the sky, where God dwells.
30 See, he is stretching out his mist, covering the tops of the mountains with it.
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He sends lightning through all the sky, but the depths of the sea remain dark.
31 For by these he gives food to the peoples, and bread in full measure.
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This is how he feeds the people and provides an abundance of food.
32 He takes the light in his hands, sending it against the mark.
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He seizes the lightning with his hands and commands it to hit the mark.
33 The thunder makes clear his passion, and the storm gives news of his wrath.
33
Thunder announces the approaching storm, and the cattle know it is coming.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.