33“But now, hear my speech, O Job, and listen to all my words. 2See, I open my mouth; the tongue in my mouth speaks. 3My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely. 4The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5Answer me, if you can; set your words in order before me; take your stand. 6See, before God I am as you are; I too was formed from a piece of clay. 7No fear of me need terrify you; my pressure will not be heavy on you.
8“Surely, you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the sound of your words. 9You say, ‘I am clean, without transgression; I am pure, and there is no iniquity in me. 10Look, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy; 11he puts my feet in the stocks, and watches all my paths.’ 12“But in this you are not right. I will answer you: God is greater than any mortal. 13Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of my words’?
14For God speaks in one way, and in two, though people do not perceive it. 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on mortals, while they slumber on their beds, 16then he opens their ears, and terrifies them with warnings, 17that he may turn them aside from their deeds, and keep them from pride, 18to spare their souls from the Pit, their lives from traversing the River.
19They are also chastened with pain upon their beds, and with continual strife in their bones, 20so that their lives loathe bread, and their appetites dainty food. 21Their flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen; and their bones, once invisible, now stick out. 22Their souls draw near the Pit, and their lives to those who bring death. 23Then, if there should be for one of them an angel, a mediator, one of a thousand, one who declares a person upright, 24and he is gracious to that person, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down into the Pit; I have found a ransom; 25let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor.’ 26Then he prays to God, and is accepted by him, he comes into his presence with joy, and God repays him for his righteousness. 27That person sings to others and says, ‘I sinned, and perverted what was right, and it was not paid back to me. 28He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and my life shall see the light.’
29“God indeed does all these things, twice, three times, with mortals, 30to bring back their souls from the Pit, so that they may see the light of life. 31Pay heed, Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. 32If you have anything to say, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you. 33If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
34Then Elihu continued and said: 2“Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you who know; 3for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. 4Let us choose what is right; let us determine among ourselves what is good. 5For Job has said, ‘I am innocent, and God has taken away my right; 6in spite of being right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’ 7Who is there like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water, 8who goes in company with evildoers and walks with the wicked? 9For he has said, ‘It profits one nothing to take delight in God.’
10“Therefore, hear me, you who have sense, far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. 11For according to their deeds he will repay them, and according to their ways he will make it befall them. 12Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice. 13Who gave him charge over the earth and who laid on him the whole world? 14If he should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to himself his breath, 15all flesh would perish together, and all mortals return to dust.
16“If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say. 17Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn one who is righteous and mighty, 18who says to a king, ‘You scoundrel!’ and to princes, ‘You wicked men!’; 19who shows no partiality to nobles, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? 20In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand. 21“For his eyes are upon the ways of mortals, and he sees all their steps. 22There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves. 23For he has not appointed a time for anyone to go before God in judgment. 24He shatters the mighty without investigation, and sets others in their place. 25Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed. 26He strikes them for their wickedness while others look on, 27because they turned aside from following him, and had no regard for any of his ways, 28so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted— 29When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or an individual?— 30so that the godless should not reign, or those who ensnare the people.
31“For has anyone said to God, ‘I have endured punishment; I will not offend any more; 32teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’? 33Will he then pay back to suit you, because you reject it? For you must choose, and not I; therefore declare what you know. 34Those who have sense will say to me, and the wise who hear me will say, 35‘Job speaks without knowledge, his words are without insight.’ 36Would that Job were tried to the limit, because his answers are those of the wicked. 37For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God.”
From the oremus Bible Browser https://bible.oremus.org v2.9.2 30 June 2021.