Job 35

1 Elihu spake moreover, and said,

And Elihu made answer and said,

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

Does it seem to you to be right, and righteousness before God, to say,

3 For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? [and], What profit shall I have, [if I be cleansed] from my sin?

What profit is it to me, and how am I better off than if I had done wrong?

4 I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.

I will make answer to you and to your friends:

5 Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds [which] are higher than thou.

Let your eyes be turned to the heavens, and lifted up to see the skies; they are higher than you.

6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or [if] thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

If you have done wrong, is he any the worse for it? and if your sins are great in number, what is it to him?

7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?

If you are upright, what do you give to him? or what does he take from your hand?

8 Thy wickedness [may hurt] a man as thou [art; ] and thy righteousness [may profit] the son of man.

Your evil-doing may have an effect on a man like yourself, or your righteousness on a son of man.

9 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make [the oppressed] to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.

Because the hand of the cruel is hard on them, men are making sounds of grief; they are crying out for help because of the arm of the strong.

10 But none saith, Where [is] God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;

But no one has said, Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night;

11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?

Who gives us more knowledge than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the heaven?

12 There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.

There they are crying out because of the pride of the evil-doers, but he gives them no answer.

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

But God will not give ear to what is false, or the Ruler of all take note of it;

14 Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, [yet] judgment [is] before him; therefore trust thou in him.

How much less when you say that you do not see him; that the cause is before him, and you are waiting for him.

15 But now, because [it is] not [so], he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth [it] not in great extremity:

And now ...;

16 Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.

And Job's mouth is open wide to give out what is of no profit, increasing words without knowledge.