Job 32-35

Job 32

¹And these three men cease from answering Job, for he is righteous in his own eyes,

²and burn doth the anger of Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram; against Job hath his anger burned, because of his justifying himself more than God;

³and against his three friends hath his anger burned, because that they have not found an answer, and condemn Job.

⁴And Elihu hath waited earnestly beside Job with words, for they are older than he in days.

⁵And Elihu seeth that there is no answer in the mouth of the three men, and his anger burneth.

⁶And Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answereth and saith: -- Young I am in days, and ye are age Therefore I have feared, And am afraid of shewing you my opinion.

⁷I said: Days do speak, And multitude of years teach wisdom.

⁸Surely a spirit is in man, And the breath of the Mighty One Doth cause them to understand.

⁹The multitude are not wise, Nor do the aged understand judgment.

¹⁰Therefore I have said: Hearken to me, I do shew my opinion -- even I.

¹¹Lo, I have waited for your words, I give ear unto your reasons, Till ye search out sayings.

¹²And unto you I attend, And lo, there is no reasoner for Job, Or answerer of his sayings among you.

¹³Lest ye say, We have found wisdom, God doth thrust him away, not man.

¹⁴And he hath not set in array words for me, And with your sayings I do not answer him.

¹⁵(They have broken down, They have not answered again, They removed from themselves words.

¹⁶And I have waited, but they do not speak, For they have stood still, They have not answered any more.)

¹⁷I answer, even I -- my share, I shew my opinion -- even I.

¹⁸For I have been full of words, Distressed me hath the spirit of my breast,

¹⁹Lo, my breast is as wine not opened, Like new bottles it is broken up.

²⁰I speak, and there is refreshment to me, I open my lips and answer.

²¹Let me not, I pray you, accept the face of any, Nor unto man give flattering titles,

²²For I have not known to give flattering titles, In a little doth my Maker take me away.

Job 33

¹And yet, I pray thee, O Job, Hear my speech and to all my words give ear.

²Lo, I pray thee, I have opened my mouth, My tongue hath spoken in the palate.

³Of the uprightness of my heart are my sayings, And knowledge have my lips clearly spoken.

⁴The Spirit of God hath made me, And the breath of the Mighty doth quicken me.

⁵If thou art able -- answer me, Set in array before me -- station thyself.

⁶Lo, I am, according to thy word, for God, From the clay I -- I also, have been formed.

⁷Lo, my terror doth not frighten thee, And my burden on thee is not heavy.

⁸Surely -- thou hast said in mine ears, And the sounds of words I hear:

⁹‘Pure am I, without transgression, Innocent am I, and I have no iniquity.

¹⁰Lo, occasions against me He doth find, He doth reckon me for an enemy to Him,

¹¹He doth put in the stocks my feet, He doth watch all my paths.'

¹²Lo, in this thou hast not been righteous, I answer thee, that greater is God than man.

¹³Wherefore against Him hast thou striven, When for all His matters He answereth not?

¹⁴For once doth God speak, and twice, (He doth not behold it.)

¹⁵In a dream -- a vision of night, In the falling of deep sleep on men, In slumberings on a bed.

¹⁶Then He uncovereth the ear of men, And for their instruction sealeth:

¹⁷To turn aside man from doing, And pride from man He concealeth.

¹⁸He keepeth back his soul from corruption, And his life from passing away by a dart.

¹⁹And he hath been reproved With pain on his bed, And the strife of his bones is enduring.

²⁰And his life hath nauseated bread, And his soul desirable food.

²¹His flesh is consumed from being seen, And high are his bones, they were not seen!

²²And draw near to the pit doth his soul, And his life to those causing death.

²³If there is by him a messenger, An interpreter -- one of a thousand, To declare for man his uprightness:

²⁴Then He doth favour him and saith, ‘Ransom him from going down to the pit, I have found an atonement.'

²⁵Fresher is his flesh than a child's, He returneth to the days of his youth.

²⁶He maketh supplication unto God, And He accepteth him. And he seeth His face with shouting, And He returneth to man His righteousness.

²⁷He looketh on men, and saith, ‘I sinned, And uprightness I have perverted, And it hath not been profitable to me.

²⁸He hath ransomed my soul From going over into the pit, And my life on the light looketh.'

²⁹Lo, all these doth God work, Twice -- thrice with man,

³⁰To bring back his soul from the pit, To be enlightened with the light of the living.

³¹Attend, O Job, hearken to me, Keep silent, and I -- I do speak.

³²If there are words -- answer me, Speak, for I have a desire to justify thee.

³³If there are not -- hearken thou to me, Keep silent, and I teach thee wisdom.

Job 34

¹And Elihu answereth and saith:

²Hear, O wise men, my words, And, O knowing ones, give ear to me.

³For the ear doth try words, And the palate tasteth to eat.

⁴Judgment let us choose for ourselves, Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵For Job hath said, ‘I have been righteous, And God hath turned aside my right,

⁶Against my right do I lie? Mortal is mine arrow -- without transgression.'

⁷Who is a man like Job? He drinketh scoffing like water,

⁸And he hath travelled for company With workers of iniquity, So as to go with men of wickedness.

⁹For he hath said, ‘It doth not profit a man, When he delighteth himself with God.'

¹⁰Therefore, O men of heart, hearken to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Mighty to do perverseness:

¹¹For the work of man he repayeth to him, And according to the path of each He doth cause him to find.

¹²Yea, truly, God doth not do wickedly, And the Mighty doth not pervert judgment.

¹³Who hath inspected for Himself the earth? And who hath placed all the habitable world?

¹⁴If He doth set on him His heart, His spirit and his breath unto Him He gathereth.

¹⁵Expire doth all flesh together, And man to dust returneth.

¹⁶And if there is understanding, hear this, Give ear to the voice of my words.

¹⁷Yea, doth one hating justice govern? Or the Most Just dost thou condemn?

¹⁸Who hath said to a king -- ‘Worthless,' Unto princes -- ‘Wicked?'

¹⁹That hath not accepted the person of princes, Nor hath known the rich before the poor, For a work of His hands are all of them.

²⁰In a moment they die, and at midnight Shake do people, and they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand.

²¹For His eyes are on the ways of each, And all his steps He doth see.

²²There is no darkness nor death-shade, For workers of iniquity to be hidden there;

²³For He doth not suffer man any more, To go unto God in judgment,

²⁴He breaketh the mighty -- no searching! And He appointeth others in their stead.

²⁵Therefore He knoweth their works, And He hath overturned by night, And they are bruised.

²⁶As wicked He hath stricken them, In the place of beholders.

²⁷Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And none of His ways have considered wisely,

²⁸To cause to come in unto Him The cry of the poor, And the cry of the afflicted He heareth.

²⁹And He giveth rest, and who maketh wrong? And hideth the face, and who beholdeth it? And in reference to a nation and to a man, It is the same.

³⁰From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;

³¹For unto God hath any said: ‘I have taken away, I do not corruptly,

³²Besides that which I see, shew Thou me, If iniquity I have done -- I do not add?'

³³By thee doth He recompense, That thou hast refused -- That thou dost choose, and not I? And what thou hast known, speak.

³⁴Let men of heart say to me, And a wise man is hearkening to me.

³⁵Job -- not with knowledge doth he speak, And his words are not with wisdom.

³⁶My Father! let Job be tried -- unto victory, Because of answers for men of iniquity,

³⁷For he doth add to his sin, Transgression among us he vomiteth, And multiplieth his sayings to God.

Job 35

¹And Elihu answereth and saith: --

²This hast thou reckoned for judgment: Thou hast said -- ‘My righteousness is more than God's?'

³For thou sayest, ‘What doth it profit Thee! What do I profit from my sin?'

⁴I return thee words, and thy friends with thee,

⁵Behold attentively the heavens -- and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than thou.

⁶If thou hast sinned, what dost thou against Him? And thy transgressions have been multiplied, What dost thou to Him?

⁷If thou hast been righteous, What dost thou give to Him? Or what from thy hand doth He receive?

⁸For a man like thyself is thy wickedness, And for a son of man thy righteousness.

⁹Because of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.

¹⁰And none said, ‘Where is God my maker? Giving songs in the night,

¹¹Teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.'

¹²There they cry, and He doth not answer, Because of the pride of evil doers.

¹³Surely vanity God doth not hear, And the Mighty doth not behold it.

¹⁴Yea, though thou sayest thou dost not behold Him, Judgment is before Him, and stay for Him.

¹⁵And, now, because there is not, He hath appointed His anger, And He hath not known in great extremity.

¹⁶And Job with vanity doth open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.