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¹Elihu spoke moreover, and said,

²Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God's?

³For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?

⁴I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.

⁵Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.

⁶If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

⁷If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?

⁸Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.

⁹By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.

¹⁰But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;

¹¹Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?

¹²There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.

¹³Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

¹⁴Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.

¹⁵But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity:

¹⁶Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.

¹Elihu also proceeded, and said,

²Suffer me a little, and I will show thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf.

³I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

⁴For truly my words shall not be false: he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.

⁵Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

⁶He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor.

⁷He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them forever, and they are exalted.

⁸And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction;

⁹Then he showeth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded.

¹⁰He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.

¹¹If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

¹²But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.

¹³But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.

¹⁴They die in youth, and their life is among the unclean.

¹⁵He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression.

¹⁶Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness.

¹⁷But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked: judgment and justice take hold on thee.

¹⁸Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.

¹⁹Will he esteem thy riches? no, not gold, nor all the forces of strength.

²⁰Desire not the night, when people are cut off in their place.

²¹Take heed, regard not iniquity: for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.

²²Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?

²³Who hath enjoined him his way? or who can say, Thou hast wrought iniquity?

²⁴Remember that thou magnify his work, which men behold.

²⁵Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off.

²⁶Behold, God is great, and we know him not neither can the number of his years be searched out.

²⁷For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapor thereof:

²⁸Which the clouds do drop and distill upon man abundantly.

²⁹Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?

³⁰Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea.

³¹For by them judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.

³²With clouds he covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh between.

³³The noise thereof showeth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapor.

¹At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place.

²Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth.

³He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.

⁴After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard.

⁵God thundereth marvelously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

⁶For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.

⁷He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work.

⁸Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places.

⁹Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.

¹⁰By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.

¹¹Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:

¹²And it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth.

¹³He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy.

¹⁴Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

¹⁵Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?

¹⁶Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?

¹⁷How thy garments are warm, when he quieteth the earth by the south wind?

¹⁸Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?

¹⁹Teach us what we shall say unto him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.

²⁰Shall it be told him that I speak? if a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up.

²¹And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.

²²Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty.

²³Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.

²⁴Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.

¹Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

²Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

³Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

⁴Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

⁵Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

⁶Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

⁷When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

⁸Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

⁹When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it,

¹⁰And broke up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

¹¹And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

¹²Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

¹³That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

¹⁴It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

¹⁵And from the wicked their light is withheld, and the high arm shall be broken.

¹⁶Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

¹⁷Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

¹⁸Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

¹⁹Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

²⁰That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

²¹Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

²²Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

²³Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

²⁴By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

²⁵Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;

²⁶To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

²⁷To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

²⁸Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

²⁹Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath engendered it?

³⁰The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

³¹Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

³²Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

³³Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

³⁴Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?

³⁵Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?

³⁶Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

³⁷Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

³⁸When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?

³⁹Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

⁴⁰When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

⁴¹Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.