“Did I ever say, ‘Give me something,’
Or, ‘Pay a bribe for me from your wealth,’

“When I lie down I say,
‘When shall I arise [and the night be gone]?’
But the night continues,
And I am continually tossing until the dawning of day.

“When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me,
My couch will ease my complaint,’

“How long will you say these things?
And will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

“Behold, He snatches away; who can restrain or turn Him back?
Who will say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’

“If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty!
And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him?

“It is all one; therefore I say,
‘He destroys [both] the blameless and the wicked.’

“If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
I will leave off my sad appearance, and be cheerful and brighten up,’

“I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me [and declare me guilty]!
Show me why You contend and argue and struggle with me.

“With the aged [you say] is wisdom,
And with long life is understanding.

If I call out to the pit (grave), ‘You are my father’;
And to the worm [that feeds on decay], ‘You are my mother and my sister [because I will soon be closest to you],’

“If you say, ‘How shall we [continue to] persecute him?’
And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find [since we claim the root of these afflictions is found in him]?’

Yet he perishes forever like his own refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

“Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

“But notice, the prosperity of the wicked is not in their hand (in their power);
The counsel of the wicked [and the mystery of God’s dealings with the ungodly] is far from my comprehension.

“You say, ‘God stores away [the punishment of] man’s wickedness for his children.’
Let God repay him so that he may know and experience it.

“For you say, ‘Where is the house of the noble man?
And where is the tent, the dwelling place of the wicked?’

“You say, ‘What does God know [about me]?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?

“When you are cast down and humbled, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will lift up and save.

“I would learn the words which He would answer,
And understand what He would say to me.

“They are insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is cursed on the earth;
They do not turn toward the vineyards.

“The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

“Abaddon (the place of destruction) and Death say,
‘We have [only] heard a report of it with our ears.’

“I assure you, the men of my tent have said,
‘Who can find one [in need] who has not been satisfied with his meat’?

“Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;
I also will give you my opinion [about Job’s situation] and tell you plainly what I think.’

“You see, I waited for your words,
I listened to your [wise] reasons,
While you pondered and searched out what to say.

“Beware if you say,
‘We have found wisdom;
God thrusts Job down [justly], not man [for God alone is dealing with him].’

“They (Job’s friends) are dismayed and embarrassed, they no longer answer;
The words have moved away and failed them,” [says Elihu].

“And shall I wait, because they say nothing,
But stand still and say no more?

“However, Job, please listen to my words,
And pay attention to everything I say.

‘He puts my feet in the stocks [to hinder and humiliate me];
He [suspiciously] watches all my paths,’ [you say].

Then the angel is gracious to him, and says,
‘Spare him from going down to the pit [of destruction];
I have found a ransom [a consideration, or reason for redemption, an atonement]!’

“If you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.

“If not [and you have nothing to say], listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

“God who says to a king, ‘You are worthless and vile,’
Or to princes and nobles, ‘You are wicked and evil’?

“Shall God’s retribution [for your sins] be on your terms, because you refuse to accept it?
For you must do the choosing, and not I;
Therefore say what you [truthfully] know.

“But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
Who gives songs [of rejoicing] in the night,

“Even though you say that you do not see Him [when missing His righteous judgment on earth],
Yet your case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!

“Bear with me a little longer, and I will show you,
That there is yet more to say on God’s behalf.

“Who has appointed God His way,
And who can say [to Him], ‘You have done wrong’?

“For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;
And [He speaks] to the showers and to the downpour [of His mighty rains], ‘Be strong.’

“Can you send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?

“As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’
And he smells the battle from far away,
And senses the thunder of the captains and the war cry.