Job 36
1 Elihu [finished by] saying this:
Elihu continued on and said,
2 “[Job, ] be patient with me a little longer, because I have something else to teach you. I have something else to say that God [wants you to know].
“Permit me to speak a little longer, and I will show you some things because I have a little more to say in defense of God.
3 I will tell you what I have learned from many sources, in order to show that God, my creator, is just/fair.
I will obtain my knowledge from far off; I will acknowledge that righteousness belongs to my Maker.
4 I am not saying anything to you that is false; I, who am standing in front of you, am someone who understands things (very well/perfectly) [HYP].
For indeed, my words will not be false; someone who is mature in knowledge is with you.
5 “Hey, God is [very] powerful, and he does not despise anyone, and he understands everything.
See, God is mighty, and despises no one; he is mighty in strength of understanding.
6 He does not allow wicked people to remain alive, and he always acts justly toward those who are poor.
He does not preserve the life of wicked people but instead does what is right for those who suffer.
7 He always watches over [MTY] those who are righteous; he allows them to sit on thrones [and rule] with kings, and they are honored forever.
He does not withdraw his eyes from righteous people but instead sets them on thrones like kings forever, and they are lifted up.
8 But if people [who commit crimes] are caught, they [are thrown into prison and] are caused to suffer by being fastened with chains.
If they are bound in chains and trapped in cords of suffering,
9 When that happens, God shows them what they have done; he shows them the sins that they have committed, and he shows them that they have been proud/arrogant.
then he reveals to them what they have done, and their transgressions and their pride.
10 He causes them to listen [MTY] to what he is warning them, and he commands them to turn away from [doing what is] evil.
He also opens their ears to his instruction, and commands them to turn back from iniquity.
11 If they (listen to/heed) him and serve him, [after they get out of prison] they will prosper for all the years that they are alive and be peaceful/happy.
If they listen to him and worship him, they will spend their days in prosperity, their years in contentment.
12 But if they do not (listen/pay attention) to him, they will die violently, not knowing [why God is causing them to die].
However, if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword; they will die because they have no knowledge.
13 “Godless/Wicked people continue being angry, and they do not cry out for help, [even] when God is punishing them.
Those who are godless in heart store up their anger; they do not cry out for help even when God ties them up.
14 They die while they are still young, disgraced because of their very immoral behavior [EUP].
They die in their youth; their lives end among the cultic prostitutes.
15 But God teaches people by causing them to suffer; by afflicting them, he causes them to listen to [MTY] what he is telling them.
God rescues afflicted people by means of their afflictions; he opens their ears by means of their oppression.
16 “And Job, [I think that] God [wants to] bring you out of your troubles and allow you to live without distress; he wants your table to be full of very nice food.
Indeed, he would like to draw you out of distress into a broad place where there is no hardship and where your table would be set with food full of fatness.
17 But now, you are being punished [MTY] as wicked people are punished; [God] [PRS] has been punishing you (justly/as you deserve).
But you are full of judgment on wicked people; judgment and justice have laid hold of you.
18 So be careful that you are not deceived by [desiring to acquire] money or that you are not ruined by [accepting] large bribes.
Do not let your anger entice you to mockery, or the greatness of a ransom to turn you aside.
19 [If you are deceived by those things, ] it certainly will not [RHQ] help you to cry out when you are distressed; all of your strength will not help you.
Can your wealth benefit you, so that you will not be in distress, or can all the force of your strength help you?
20 Do not wish that it would be nighttime [in order that God will not see you and punish you], because night is the time when [even] people-groups are destroyed!
Do not desire the night, to commit sin against others, when peoples are cut off in their place.
21 Be careful not to [begin doing] evil things, because [God] has caused you to suffer to prevent you from doing evil.
Be careful that you do not turn to sin because you are being tested by suffering so that you will stay away from sinning.
22 “Hey, God is extremely powerful; there is certainly [RHQ] no teacher who teaches like he does.
See, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him?
23 No one has [RHQ] told him what he should do, and no one has [RHQ] said to him, ‘You have done what is wrong!’
Who has ever instructed him about his way? Who can ever say to him, 'You have committed unrighteousness?'
24 People have [always] sung to praise him, so you also should never forget to praise him for what he has done.
Remember to praise his deeds, of which people have sung.
25 Everyone has seen [what he has done], but [sometimes] we can see it only from far away.
All people have looked on those deeds, but they see those deeds only from far away.
26 “Hey, God is very great, and we are not able to know how great he is, and we do not know how old he is.
See, God is great, but we do not understand him well; the number of his years is incalculable.
27 He draws water up [from the earth and puts it in clouds] and causes it to become rain.
For he draws up the drops of water that he distills as rain from his vapor,
28 The rain pours down from the sky/clouds; God causes abundant showers to fall on everyone.
which the clouds pour down and drop in abundance on mankind.
29 No one can [RHQ] understand how the clouds move [across the sky] or how it thunders in the sky where God lives.
Indeed, can anyone understand the extensive spread of the clouds and the thunder from his hut?
30 He causes lightning to flash all around him, but he causes the bottom of the oceans to remain dark.
See, he spreads his lightning around him and covers the roots of the sea.
31 By providing plenty of rain for us, he enables us to have abundant food.
In this way he judges the peoples and gives food in abundance.
32 [It is as though] he holds the lightning in his hands, and [then] he commands it to strike where he wants it to.
He fills his hands with the lightning until he commands it to strike its mark.
33 When we hear his thunder, we know that there will be a storm, and the cattle know it, too.”
Its thunder warns of the storm, the cattle can also hear it is coming.
