Job 35

1 Moreover Elihu answered,

Then Elihu also said this:

2 “Do you think this to be your right, or do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s,’

“[Job, ] do you think that what you said is right/correct? You say, ‘God knows that I am innocent,’

3 that you ask, ‘What advantage will it be to you? What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’

and you say [to God], ‘What good have I received for not sinning? What benefit have I received from that?’ [DOU, RHQ]

4 I will answer you, and your companions with you.

[Well, ] I will answer you, and I will answer your three friends, too.

5 Look to the skies, and see. See the skies, which are higher than you.

“[Job], look up at the sky; look at the clouds that are high above you and realize [that God is far above everything].

6 If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him? If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?

If you have sinned, that does not [RHQ] harm God at all. If many times you do things that are wrong, that certainly does not [RHQ] affect him [DOU].

7 If you are righteous, what do you give him? Or what does he receive from your hand?

And if you are righteous, does that help God? No, he is not benefited by anything that you do [DOU].

8 Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are, and your righteousness may profit a son of man.

It is other people who suffer because of the wicked things that you do, but by doing good things for people, you help them.

9 “By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out. They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.

“People cry out because of the many things that people do to others to (oppress them/treat them cruelly); they call for help because of the things that powerful people do [MTY] to them.

10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,

But (no one/none of them) calls out [to God], saying ‘Why does God, my creator, [not help me]? He [should] enable me to sing [joyful] songs, [instead of very sad songs, ] during the night.

11 who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’

He [should be able to] teach us more than all the wild animals do; he [should] enable us to become wiser than [all] the birds are!’

12 There they cry, but no one answers, because of the pride of evil men.

People cry out [for help], but God does not answer them, because those who cry out are proud and evil people.

13 Surely God will not hear an empty cry, neither will the Almighty regard it.

It is useless for them to cry out, because God, the Almighty One, does not pay any attention to what they say.

14 How much less when you say you don’t see him. The cause is before him, and you wait for him!

So, when you complain that you cannot see God, and you tell him that you are waiting for him [to decide whether or not you should be punished for what you have done], God will not listen to you, either!

15 But now, because he has not visited in his anger, neither does he greatly regard arrogance,

Furthermore, [you say that] because he does not pay attention when people commit sins, he does not become angry and punish them.

16 therefore Job opens his mouth with empty talk, and he multiplies words without knowledge.”

You say things that are useless; you say a lot of things without knowing [what you are talking about].”