Study Desk

"Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, While you ^[k]pondered what to say.

"I even paid close attention to you; ^[l]Indeed, there was no one who refuted Job, Not one of you who answered his words.

"Do not say, ‘^(j)We have found wisdom; God will ^[m]rout him, not man.'

"For he has not arranged his words against me, Nor will I reply to him with your ^[n]arguments.

"They are dismayed, they no longer answer; Words have ^[o]failed them.

"Shall I wait, because they do not speak, Because they ^[p]stop and no longer answer?

"I too will answer my share, I also will tell my opinion.

"For I am full of words; The spirit within me constrains me.

"Behold, my belly is like unvented wine, Like new wineskins it is about to burst.

"Let me speak that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer.

"Let me now ^(k)be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man.

"For I do not know how to flatter, Else my Maker would soon take me away.

"However now, Job, please ^(a)hear my speech, And listen to all my words.

"Behold now, I open my mouth, My tongue in my ^[a]mouth speaks.

"My words are from the uprightness of my heart, And my lips speak ^(b)knowledge sincerely.

"The ^(c)Spirit of God has made me, And the ^(d)breath of ^[b]the Almighty gives me life.

"^(e)Refute me if you can; Array yourselves before me, take your stand.

"Behold, I belong to God like you; I too have been ^[c]formed out of the ^(f)clay.

"Behold, ^(g)no fear of me should terrify you, Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

"Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words:

‘I am ^(h)pure, ⁽ⁱ⁾without transgression; I am innocent and there ^(j)is no guilt in me.

‘Behold, He ^[d]invents pretexts against me; He ^(k)counts me as His enemy.

‘He ^(l)puts my feet in the stocks; He watches all my paths.'

"Behold, let me ^[e]tell you, ^(m)you are not right in this, For God is greater than man.

"Why do you ⁽ⁿ⁾complain against Him That He does not give an account of all His doings?

"Indeed ^(o)God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it.

"In a ^(p)dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds,

Then ^(q)He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction,

That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And ^[f]keep man from pride;

He ^(r)keeps back his soul from the pit, And his life from ^[g]passing over ^(s)into Sheol.

"^[h]Man is also chastened with ^(t)pain on his bed, And with unceasing complaint in his bones;

So that his life ^(u)loathes bread, And his soul favorite food.

"His ^(v)flesh wastes away from sight, And his ^(w)bones which were not seen stick out.

"Then ^(x)his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those who bring death.

"If there is an angel as ^(y)mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a man what is ^[i]right for him,

Then let him be gracious to him, and say, ‘Deliver him from ^(z)going down to the pit, I have found a ^(aa)ransom';

Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;

Then he will ^(ab)pray to God, and He will accept him, That ^(ac)he may see His face with joy, And He may restore His righteousness to man.

"He will sing to men and say, ‘I ^(ad)have sinned and perverted what is right, And it is not ^(ae)proper for me.

‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, And my life shall ^(af)see the light.'

"Behold, God does ^(ag)all these ^[j]oftentimes with men,

To ^(ah)bring back his soul from the pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

"Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; Keep silent, and let me speak.

"Then if ^[k]you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you.

"If not, ^(ai)listen to me; Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom."

Then Elihu continued and said,

"Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who know.

"For ^(a)the ear tests words As the palate tastes food.

"Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good.

"For Job has said, ‘^(b)I am righteous, But ^(c)God has taken away my right;

^[a]Should I lie concerning my right? My ^[b](d)wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

"What man is like Job, Who ^(e)drinks up derision like water,

Who goes ^(f)in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men?

"For he has said, ‘^(g)It profits a man nothing When he ^[c]is pleased with God.'

"Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to ^(h)do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong.

"For He pays a man according to ⁽ⁱ⁾his work, And makes ^[d]him find it according to his way.

"Surely, ^(j)God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice.

"Who ^(k)gave Him authority over the earth? And who ^(l)has laid on Him the whole world?

"If He should ^[e]determine to do so, If He should ^(m)gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,

All ⁽ⁿ⁾flesh would perish together, And man would ^(o)return to dust.

"But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words.

"Shall ^(p)one who hates justice rule? And ^(q)will you condemn the righteous mighty One,

Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,' To nobles, ‘Wicked ones';

Who shows no ^(r)partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the ^(s)work of His hands?

"In a moment they die, and ^(t)at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And ^(u)the mighty are taken away without a hand.

"For ^(v)His eyes are upon the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps.

"There is ^(w)no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

"For He does not ^(x)need to consider a man further, That he should go before God in judgment.

"He breaks in pieces ^(y)mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place.

"Therefore He ^(z)knows their works, And ^(aa)He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.

"He ^(ab)strikes them like the wicked ^[f]In a public place,

Because they ^(ac)turned aside from following Him, And ^(ad)had no regard for any of His ways;

So that they caused ^(ae)the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He might ^(af)hear the cry of the afflicted—

When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him, That is, in regard to both nation and man?—

So that ^(ag)godless men would not rule Nor be snares of the people.

"For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastisement; I will not offend anymore;

Teach me what I do not see; If I have ^(ah)done iniquity, I will not do it again'?

"Shall He ^(ai)recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know.

"Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,

‘Job ^(aj)speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom.

‘Job ought to be tried ^[g]to the limit, Because he answers ^(ak)like wicked men.

‘For he adds ^(al)rebellion to his sin; He ^(am)claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.'"

Then Elihu continued and said,

"Do you think this is according to ^(a)justice? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God's'?

"For you say, ‘^(b)What advantage will it be to ^[a]You? ^(c)What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?'

"I will answer you, And your friends with you.

"^(d)Look at the heavens and see; And behold ^(e)the clouds—they are higher than you.

"If you have sinned, ^(f)what do you accomplish against Him? And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him?

"If you are righteous, ^(g)what do you give to Him, Or what does He receive from your hand?

"Your wickedness is for a man like yourself, And your righteousness is for a son of man.

"Because of the ^(h)multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help because of the arm ⁽ⁱ⁾of the mighty.

"But ^(j)no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who ^(k)gives songs in the night,

Who ^(l)teaches us more than the beasts of the earth And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?'

"There ^(m)they cry out, but He does not answer Because of the pride of evil men.

"Surely ⁽ⁿ⁾God will not listen to ^[b]an empty cry, Nor will the Almighty regard it.

"How much less when ^(o)you say you do not behold Him, The ^(p)case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!

"And now, because He has not visited in His anger, Nor has He acknowledged ^[c]transgression well,

So Job opens his mouth ^[d]emptily; He multiplies words ^(q)without knowledge."