Job 36
1 Elihu also continued, and said,
And Elihu added and said: —
2 “Bear with me a little, and I will show you; for I still have something to say on God’s behalf.
Restrain thyself for me a little, and I will shew thee, that, yet—for GOD, there is justification,
3 I will get my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
I will bring my knowledge from afar, and, to my Maker, will I attribute righteousness.
4 For truly my words are not false. One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
For, of a truth—not false, are my words, One of competent knowledge, is with thee.
5 “Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise anyone. He is mighty in strength of understanding.
Lo! GOD, is mighty, yet will he not despise, Mighty in vigour of mind;
6 He does not preserve the life of the wicked, but gives justice to the afflicted.
He will not keep alive one who is lawless, but, the right of oppressed ones, will he grant;
7 He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne, he sets them forever, and they are exalted.
He will not withdraw—from a righteous one—his eyes, —but, with kings on the throne, He hath seated men triumphantly, and they have been exalted.
8 If they are bound in fetters, and are taken in the cords of afflictions,
But, if, bound in fetters, they have been captured with cords of affliction,
9 then he shows them their work, and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.
Then hath he declared to them their deed, and their transgressions—that they were wont to behave themselves proudly;
10 He also opens their ears to instruction, and commands that they return from iniquity.
Thus hath he uncovered their ear to a warning, and said—that they should turn from iniquity.
11 If they listen and serve him, they will spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
If they would hearken, and serve, they should complete their days, in prosperity, and their years, in pleasantness;
12 But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword; they will die without knowledge.
But, if they would not hearken, by a weapon, should they pass away, and breathe their last, no one knowing.
13 “But those who are godless in heart lay up anger. They do not cry for help when he binds them.
Yea, the impious in heart, should store up anger, They should not cry for help, when he bound them.
14 They die in youth. Their life perishes among the unclean.
Their soul should die in youth, and their life, among the unclean.
15 He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear in oppression.
He would deliver the humbled in his humiliation, and would uncover—in oppression—their ear.
16 Yes, he would have allured you out of distress, into a wide place, where there is no restriction. That which is set on your table would be full of fatness.
Yea he might even have allured thee—out of the mouth of straitness, [into] a wide space—no narrowness there, —and, the food set down on thy table, should have been full of fatness.
17 “But you are full of the judgment of the wicked. Judgment and justice take hold of you.
But, with the plea of a lawless one, thou art full, Plea and sentence, will take fast hold.
18 Do not let riches entice you to wrath, neither let the great size of a bribe turn you aside.
Because there is wrath, [beware] lest he take thee away with a stroke, Then let not, a great ransom, mislead thee.
19 Would your wealth sustain you in distress, or all the might of your strength?
Will he value thy riches? Nay not precious ore, nor all the forces of strength.
20 Do not desire the night, when people are cut off in their place.
Do not pant for the night, when peoples disappear from their place.
21 Take heed, do not regard iniquity; for you have chosen this rather than affliction.
Beware, do not turn unto iniquity, For, this, thou hast chosen rather than affliction.
22 Behold, God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?
Lo, GOD, exalteth himself by his strength, Who like him doth teach?
23 Who has prescribed his way for him? Or who can say, ‘You have committed unrighteousness’?
Who enjoined on him his way? and who ever said, Thou hast wrought perversity?
24 “Remember that you magnify his work, about which men have sung.
Remember, that thou extol his work, of which men have sung;
25 All men have looked on it. Man sees it afar off.
Every son of earth, hath viewed it, Mortal man, looketh at it from afar.
26 Behold, God is great, and we do not know him. The number of his years is unsearchable.
Lo, GOD, is greater than we can know, The number of his years, even past finding out!
27 For he draws up the drops of water, which distill in rain from his vapor,
For he draweth up drops of water, They trickle as rain through his mist;
28 which the skies pour down and which drop on man abundantly.
With which the clouds flow down, They drop on man in abundance.
29 Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunderings of his pavilion?
But surely none can understand the burstings of the cloud, the crashing of his pavilion!
30 Behold, he spreads his light around him. He covers the bottom of the sea.
Lo! he hath spread out over it, his lightning, The bed of the sea, hath he covered.
31 For by these he judges the people. He gives food in abundance.
For, by those things, he executeth judgment on peoples, He giveth food in abundance:
32 He covers his hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark.
Upon both hands, he putteth a covering of lightning, and layeth command upon it against an assailant:
33 Its noise tells about him, and the livestock also, concerning the storm that comes up.
His rolling thunder telleth concerning him, —The cattle, even, concerning him that is coming up.
