Job 34
1 Moreover Elihu answered,
Then Elihu continued:
2 “Hear my words, you wise men. Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
“You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
3 For the ear tries words, as the palate tastes food.
When we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good].
4 Let us choose for us that which is right. Let us know among ourselves what is good.
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, God has taken away my right.
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 Notwithstanding my right I am considered a liar. My wound is incurable, though I am without disobedience.’
Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
7 What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water,
(Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
8 who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men?
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.’
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 “Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
“So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
11 For the work of a man he will render to him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
12 Yes surely, God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Who put him in charge of the earth? Or who has appointed him over the whole world?
The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
14 If he set his heart on himself, if he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath,
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 all flesh would perish together, and man would turn again to dust.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 “If now you have understanding, hear this. Listen to the voice of my words.
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 Should even one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
18 who says to a king, ‘Vile!’ or to nobles, ‘Wicked!’?
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 He doesn’t respect the persons of princes, nor respect the rich more than the poor, for they all are the work of his hands.
He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
20 In a moment they die, even at midnight. The people are shaken and pass away. The mighty are taken away without a hand.
People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
21 “For his eyes are on the ways of a man. He sees all his goings.
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 There is no darkness, nor thick gloom, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 For he doesn’t need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in judgment.
God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
24 He breaks mighty men in pieces in ways past finding out, and sets others in their place.
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 Therefore he takes knowledge of their works. He overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others;
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 because they turned away from following him, and wouldn’t pay attention to any of his ways,
he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
28 so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him. He heard the cry of the afflicted.
They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
29 When he gives quietness, who then can condemn? When he hides his face, who then can see him? He is over a nation or a man alike,
But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
30 that the godless man may not reign, that there be no one to ensnare the people.
and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
31 “For has any said to God, ‘I am guilty, but I will not offend any more.
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 Teach me that which I don’t see. If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 Shall his recompense be as you desire, that you refuse it? For you must choose, and not I. Therefore speak what you know.
[Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
34 Men of understanding will tell me, yes, every wise man who hears me:
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge. His words are without wisdom.’
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 I wish that Job were tried to the end, because of his answering like wicked men.
I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin. He claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God.”
To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
