Chronological Plan

¹Then these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

²But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned against Job; his anger burned because he justified himself before God.

³And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, yet they had condemned Job.

⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.

⁵But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger burned.

⁶So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.

⁷I thought age should speak, And increased years should teach wisdom.

⁸But it is a spirit that is in mankind, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.

⁹The abundant in years may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice.

¹⁰So I say, ‘Listen to me, I too will tell what I think.’

¹¹“Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your skillful speech, While you pondered what to say.

¹²I also paid close attention to you; But indeed, there was no one who refuted Job, Not one of you who answered his words.

¹³So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom: God will defeat him, not man.’

¹⁴But he has not presented his words against me, Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.

¹⁵“They are dismayed, they no longer answer; Words have failed them.

¹⁶Should I wait, because they are not speaking, Because they have stopped and no longer answer?

¹⁷I too will give my share of answers; I also will tell my opinion.

¹⁸For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me.

¹⁹Behold, my belly is like unvented wine; Like new wineskins, it is about to burst.

²⁰Let me speak so that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer.

²¹Let me be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man.

²²For I do not know how to flatter, Otherwise my Maker would quickly take me away.

¹“However, please hear my speech, Job, And listen to all my words.

²Behold now, I open my mouth, My tongue in my mouth speaks.

³My words are from the integrity of my heart, And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.

⁴The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

⁵Refute me if you can; Line up against me, take your stand.

⁶Behold, I belong to God, like you; I too have been formed out of the clay.

⁷Behold, no fear of me should terrify you, Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

⁸“You have in fact spoken while I listened, And I heard the sound of your words:

⁹‘I am pure, without wrongdoing; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.

¹⁰Behold, He invents criticisms against me; He counts me as His enemy.

¹¹He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches all my paths.’

¹²Behold, let me respond to you, you are not right in this, For God is greater than mankind.

¹³“Why do you complain to Him That He does not give an account of all His doings?

¹⁴Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it.

¹⁵In a dream, a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls on people, While they slumber in their beds,

¹⁶Then He opens the ears of people, And horrifies them with warnings,

¹⁷So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct, And keep a man from pride;

¹⁸He keeps his soul back from the pit, And his life from perishing by the spear.

¹⁹“A person is also rebuked by pain in his bed, And with constant complaint in his bones,

²⁰So that his life loathes bread, And his soul, food that he should crave.

²¹His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones, which were not seen, stick out.

²²Then his soul comes near to the pit, And his life to those who bring death.

²³“If there is an interceding angel for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a person of what is right for him,

²⁴And he is gracious to him, and says, ‘Free him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom’;

²⁵Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;

²⁶Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, So that he may see His face with joy, And He will restore His righteousness to that person.

²⁷He will sing to people and say, ‘I have sinned and perverted what is right, And it is not proper for me.

²⁸He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, And my life will see the light.’

²⁹“Behold, God does all these things for a man two or three times,

³⁰To bring back his soul from the pit, So that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

³¹Pay attention, Job, listen to me; Keep silent, and let me speak.

³²Then if you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you.

³³If not, listen to me; Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

¹Then Elihu continued and said,

²“Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who understand.

³For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food.

⁴Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us understand among ourselves what is good.

⁵For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my right;

⁶Should I lie about my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without wrongdoing.’

⁷What man is like Job, Who drinks up derision like water,

⁸Who goes in company with the workers of injustice, And walks with wicked people?

⁹For he has said, ‘It is of no use to a man When he becomes friends with God.’

¹⁰“Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, And from the Almighty to do wrong.

¹¹For He repays a person for his work, And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s behavior.

¹²God certainly will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice.

¹³Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has placed the whole world on Him?

¹⁴If He were to determine to do so, If He were to gather His spirit and His breath to Himself,

¹⁵Humanity would perish together, And mankind would return to dust.

¹⁶“But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words.

¹⁷Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,

¹⁸Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘You wicked one’;

¹⁹Who shows no partiality to the prominent, Nor regards the rich as above the poor, Since they are all the work of His hands?

²⁰In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the powerful are taken away without a hand.

²¹“For His eyes are upon the ways of a person, And He sees all his steps.

²²There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of injustice can hide themselves.

²³For He does not need to consider a person further, That he should go before God in judgment.

²⁴He breaks in pieces the mighty without investigation, And sets others in their place.

²⁵Therefore He knows their deeds, And He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.

²⁶He strikes them like the wicked In a public place,

²⁷Because they turned aside from following Him, And had no regard for any of His ways,

²⁸So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He would hear the cry of the afflicted—

²⁹When He keeps quiet, who can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can look at Him, That is, regarding both nation and a person?—

³⁰So that godless people would not rule, Nor be snares for the people.

³¹“For has anyone said to God, ‘I have endured punishment; I will not offend anymore;

³²Teach me what I do not see; If I have done wrong, I will not do it again’?

³³Shall God repay on your terms, because you have rejected His? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know.

³⁴Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,

³⁵‘Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom.

³⁶Oh that Job were tested to the limit, Because he answers like sinners.

³⁷For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.’ ”