Job 34:1-37
34 So E·liʹhu continued to say in reply:
2 “Listen to my words, you who are wise;Hear me, you who know so much.
3 For the ear tests wordsJust as the tongue* tastes food.
4 Let us evaluate for ourselves what is right;Let us decide among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job has said, ‘I am in the right,+But God has denied me justice.+
6 Would I lie about what my own judgment should be?
My wound is incurable, though there is no transgression.’+
7 What other man is like Job,Who drinks up derision like water?
8 He is in company with wrongdoersAnd in association with wicked men.+
9 For he has said, ‘A man does not benefitFrom trying to please God.’+
10 So listen to me, you men of understanding:*
It is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly,+For the Almighty to do wrong!+
11 For he will reward a man according to what he does+And bring upon him the consequences of his ways.
12 For a certainty, God does not act wickedly;+The Almighty does not pervert justice.+
13 Who put him in charge of the earth,And who appointed him over the whole world?*
14 If he fixes his attention* on them,If he gathers their spirit and breath to himself,+
15 All humans* would perish together,And mankind would return to the dust.+
16 So if you have understanding, pay attention to this;Listen carefully to what I say.
17 Should someone who hates justice be in control,Or would you condemn a powerful one who is righteous?
18 Would you say to a king, ‘You are good for nothing,’
Or to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?+
19 There is One who does not show partiality to princesAnd who does not favor the rich over the poor,*+For they are all the work of his hands.+
20 They may die suddenly,+ in the middle of the night;+They shake violently and pass away;Even the powerful are removed, but not by human hands.+
21 For God’s eyes are upon the ways of a man,+And He sees all his steps.
22 There is no darkness or deep shadowWhere wrongdoers can conceal themselves.+
23 For God has not set an appointed time for any manTo appear before him in judgment.
24 He breaks the powerful without needing to investigateAnd sets up others in their place.+
25 For he knows what they are doing;+He overthrows them during the night, and they are crushed.+
26 He strikes them for their wickedness,In a place where all can see,+
27 Because they have turned away from following him+And have no regard for any of his ways;+
28 They cause the poor to cry out to him,So that he hears the outcry of the helpless.+
29 When God remains silent, who can condemn him?
When he hides his face, who can see him?
Whether toward a nation or a man, the result is the same,
30 So that a godless person* may not rule+Or lay snares for the people.
31 For will anyone say to God,‘I have been punished, although I have committed no offense;+
32 Teach me what I have failed to see;If I have done anything wrong, I will not do it again’?
33 Should he reward you on your terms when you reject his judgment?
You must decide, not I.
So tell me what you know so well.
34 Men of understanding* will say to me—Any wise man who hears me—
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge,+And his words lack insight.’
36 Let Job be tested* to the limitBecause his replies are like those of wicked men!
37 He adds rebellion to his sin;+He scornfully claps his hands before usAnd multiplies his words against the true God!”+
Footnotes
^ Lit., “palate.”
^ Lit., “heart.”
^ Or “the inhabited earth.”
^ Lit., “his heart.”
^ Lit., “flesh.”
^ Or “the noble over the lowly.”
^ Or “an apostate.”
^ Lit., “heart.”
^ Or possibly, “My father, let Job be tested.”