Study Desk

Job further continued his discourse, and said:

When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness;

I broke the fangs of the wicked, And plucked the victim from his teeth.

"Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, If they cry out when He destroys it.

If his heart [fn] has not blessed me,And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

(Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul);

If the men of my tent have not said, "Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?'

So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God.

Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.

I paid close attention to you; And surely not one of you convinced Job, Or answered his words--

Now he has not directed his words against me; So I will not answer him with your words.

Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy;

Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.

In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man,

He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.

"Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in many of his bones,

So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food.