איוב 34

1 ויען אליהוא ויאמר

Then Elihu continued:

2 שמעו חכמים מלי וידעים האזינו לי

“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 כי-אזן מלין תבחן וחך יטעם לאכל

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 משפט נבחרה-לנו נדעה בינינו מה-טוב

We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.

5 כי-אמר איוב צדקתי ואל הסיר משפטי

Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.

6 על-משפטי אכזב אנוש חצי בלי-פשע

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 מי-גבר כאיוב ישתה-לעג כמים

(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 וארח לחברה עם-פעלי און וללכת עם-אנשי-רשע

He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.

9 כי-אמר לא יסכן-גבר-- ברצתו עם-אלהים

He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’

10 לכן אנשי לבב-- שמעו-לי חללה לאל מרשע ושדי מעול

“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 כי פעל אדם ישלם-לו וכארח איש ימצאנו

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 אף-אמנם אל לא-ירשיע ושדי לא-יעות משפט

Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.

13 מי-פקד עליו ארצה ומי שם תבל כלה

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 אם-ישים אליו לבו רוחו ונשמתו אליו יאסף

If he would take his spirit back to himself,

15 יגוע כל-בשר יחד ואדם על-עפר ישוב

everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.

16 ואם-בינה שמעה-זאת האזינה לקול מלי

“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.

17 האף שונא משפט יחבוש ואם-צדיק כביר תרשיע

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 האמר למלך בליעל-- רשע אל-נדיבים

He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.

19 אשר לא-נשא פני שרים ולא נכר-שוע לפני-דל כי-מעשה ידיו כלם

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 רגע ימתו-- וחצות לילה יגעשו עם ויעברו ויסירו אביר לא ביד

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 כי-עיניו על-דרכי-איש וכל-צעדיו יראה

“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.

22 אין-חשך ואין צלמות-- להסתר שם פעלי און

There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.

23 כי לא על-איש ישים עוד-- להלך אל-אל במשפט

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 ירע כבירים לא-חקר ויעמד אחרים תחתם

He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.

25 לכן--יכיר מעבדיהם והפך לילה וידכאו

Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.

26 תחת-רשעים ספקם-- במקום ראים

Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;

27 אשר על-כן סרו מאחריו וכל-דרכיו לא השכילו

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 להביא עליו צעקת-דל וצעקת עניים ישמע

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 והוא ישקט ומי ירשע-- ויסתר פנים ומי ישורנו ועל-גוי ועל-אדם יחד

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 ממלך אדם חנף-- ממקשי עם

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 כי-אל-אל האמר נשאתי-- לא אחבל

“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 בלעדי אחזה אתה הרני אם-עול פעלתי לא אסיף

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 המעמך ישלמנה כי-מאסת--כי-אתה תבחר ולא-אני ומה-ידעת דבר

[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 אנשי לבב יאמרו לי וגבר חכם שמע לי

“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,

35 איוב לא-בדעת ידבר ודבריו לא בהשכיל

‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’

36 אבי--יבחן איוב עד-נצח על-תשבת באנשי-און

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 כי יסיף על-חטאתו פשע בינינו יספוק וירב אמריו לאל

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].”