Job 35-36

Job 35

¹Moreover Elihu answered and said,

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

³For thou hast asked of what profit it is unto thee: what do I gain more than if I had sinned?

⁴I will reply to thee in words, and to thy companions with thee.

⁵Look unto the heavens and see; and survey the skies: they are higher than thou.

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

⁷If thou be righteous, what givest thou to him? or what doth he receive of thy hand?

⁸Thy wickedness may affect a man as thou art, and thy righteousness a son of man.

⁹By reason of the multitude of oppressions they 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 fowl of the heavens?

¹²There they cry, and he answereth not, because of the pride of evil men.

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

¹⁴Although thou sayest thou dost not see him, judgment is before him, therefore wait for him.

¹⁵But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, doth not Job know his great arrogancy?

¹⁶For Job hath opened his mouth in vanity, and made words abundant without knowledge.

Job 36

¹And Elihu proceeded and said,

²Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet words for +God.

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

⁴For truly my words shall be no falsehood: one perfect in knowledge is with thee.

⁵Lo, God is mighty, but despiseth not any; mighty in strength of understanding:

⁶He saveth not the wicked alive; but he doeth justice to the afflicted.

⁷He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne doth he even set them for ever; and they are exalted.

⁸And if, bound in fetters, they be held in cords of affliction,

⁹Then he sheweth them their work, and their transgressions, because they have increased.

¹⁰And he openeth their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.

¹¹If they hearken and serve him, they shall accomplish their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

¹²But if they hearken not, they shall pass away by the sword, and expire without knowledge.

¹³But the godless in heart heap up anger; they cry not when he bindeth them:

¹⁴Their soul dieth in youth, and their life is among the unclean.

¹⁵But he delivereth the afflicted in his affliction, and openeth their ear in their oppression.

¹⁶Even so would he have allured thee out of the jaws of distress into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and the supply of thy table would be full of fatness.

¹⁷But thou art full of the judgments of the wicked: judgment and justice take hold on thee.

¹⁸Because there is wrath, beware lest it take thee away through chastisement: then a great ransom could not avail thee.

¹⁹Will he esteem thy riches? Not gold, nor all the resources of strength!

²⁰Desire not the night, when peoples are cut off from their place.

²¹Take heed, turn not to iniquity; for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.

²²Lo, God is exalted in his power: who teacheth as he?

²³Who hath appointed him his way? or who hath said, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness?

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

²⁵All men look at it; man beholdeth it afar off.

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

²⁷For he draweth up the drops of water: they distil in rain from the vapour which he formeth,

²⁸Which the skies pour down and drop upon man abundantly.

²⁹But can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the crashing of his pavilion?

³⁰Lo, he spreadeth his light around him, and covereth the bottom of the sea.

³¹For with them he judgeth the peoples; he giveth food in abundance.

³²His hands he covereth with lightning, and commandeth it where it is to strike.

³³His thundering declareth concerning him; the cattle even, concerning its coming.