Chronological Plan

¹Moreover Elihu answered and said:

²“Do you think this is right? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?

³For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’

⁴“I will answer you, And your companions with you.

⁵Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds— They are higher than you.

⁶If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?

⁷If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?

⁸Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man.

⁹“Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.

¹⁰But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,

¹¹Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’

¹²There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men.

¹³Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it.

¹⁴Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him.

¹⁵And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly,

¹⁶Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge.”

¹Elihu also proceeded and said:

²“Bear with me a little, and I will show you That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf.

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

⁴For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.

⁶He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed.

⁷He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted.

⁸And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction,

⁹Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly.

¹⁰He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity.

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

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

¹³“But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them.

¹⁴They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons.

¹⁵He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression.

¹⁶“Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness.

¹⁷But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.

¹⁸Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it.

¹⁹Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress?

²⁰Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place.

²¹Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction.

²²“Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him?

²³Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?

²⁴“Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung.

²⁵Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar.

²⁶“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.

²⁷For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist,

²⁸Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man.

²⁹Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy?

³⁰Look, He scatters His light upon it, And covers the depths of the sea.

³¹For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance.

³²He covers His hands with lightning, And commands it to strike.

³³His thunder declares it, The cattle also, concerning the rising storm.

¹“At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place.

²Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.

³He sends it forth under the whole heaven, His lightning to the ends of the earth.

⁴After it a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard.

⁵God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend.

⁶For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.

⁷He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work.

⁸The beasts go into dens, And remain in their lairs.

⁹From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, And cold from the scattering winds of the north.

¹⁰By the breath of God ice is given, And the broad waters are frozen.

¹¹Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds.

¹²And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, That they may do whatever He commands them On the face of the whole earth.

¹³He causes it to come, Whether for correction, Or for His land, Or for mercy.

¹⁴“Listen to this, O Job; Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.

¹⁵Do you know when God dispatches them, And causes the light of His cloud to shine?

¹⁶Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?

¹⁷Why are your garments hot, When He quiets the earth by the south wind?

¹⁸With Him, have you spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror?

¹⁹“Teach us what we should say to Him, For we can prepare nothing because of the darkness.

²⁰Should He be told that I wish to speak? If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up.

²¹Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies, When the wind has passed and cleared them.

²²He comes from the north as golden splendor; With God is awesome majesty.

²³As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, In judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress.

²⁴Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart.”