“Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked and ungodly is far from me.

‘Surely our adversaries are cut off and destroyed,
And fire has consumed their abundance.’

“Now yield and submit yourself to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace;
In this way [you will prosper and great] good will come to you.

Then you will have delight in the Almighty,
And you will lift up your face to God.

“You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.

“There the righteous and upright could reason with Him;
So I would be acquitted forever by my Judge.

“For God has made my heart faint,
And the Almighty has terrified me,

But I am not silenced by the darkness [of these woes that fell on me],
Nor by the thick darkness which covers my face.

“From the [populous and crowded] city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out for help;
Yet God [seemingly] does not pay attention to the wrong [done to them].

“He preys on the barren (childless) woman
And does no good for the widow.

“Yet God draws away the mighty by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

“God gives them security, and they are supported;
And His eyes are on their ways.

“They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone;
Moreover, they are brought low and like everything [they are] gathered up and taken out of the way;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

“Dominion and awe belong to God;
He establishes peace and order in His high places.

“How then can man be justified and righteous with God?
Or how can he who is born of a woman be pure and clean?

“Behold, even the moon has no brightness [compared to God’s majesty and glory]
And the stars are not pure in His sight,

“Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) is naked before God,
And Abaddon (the place of destruction) has no covering [from His eyes].

“As God lives, who has taken away my right and denied me justice,
And the Almighty, who has caused bitterness and grief for my soul,

As long as my life is within me,
And the breath of God is [still] in my nostrils,

“Far be it from me that I should admit you are right [in your accusations against me];
Until I die, I will not remove my integrity from me.

“I hold fast my uprightness and my right standing with God and I will not let them go;
My heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

“For what is the hope of the godless, even though he has gained [in this world],
When God takes his life?

“Will God hear his cry
When trouble and distress come upon him?

“Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?

“I will teach you regarding the hand (power) of God;
I will not conceal what is with the Almighty [God’s actual treatment of the wicked].

“This [which I am about to explain] is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants and oppressors receive from the Almighty:

“For it will hurl [thunderbolts of God’s wrath] at him unsparingly and without compassion;
He flees in haste from its power.

“People will clap their hands at him [to mock and ridicule him]
And hiss him out of his place.

“God understands the way [to wisdom]
And He knows its place [for wisdom is with God alone].

“Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
As in the days when God watched over me,

As I was in the prime of my days,
When the friendship and counsel of God were over my tent,

“When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat [as a city father] in the square,

“For God has loosed His bowstring [attacking me] and [He has] afflicted and humbled me;
They have cast off the bridle [of restraint] before me.

“By the great force [of my disease] my garment (skin) is disfigured and blemished;
It binds about me [choking me] like the collar of my coat.

“God has cast me into the mire [a swampland of crisis],
And I have become [worthless] like dust and ashes.

“When I expected good, then came evil [to me];
And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

“For what is the portion I would have from God above,
And what heritage from the Almighty on high?

“Does not God see my ways
And count all my steps?

Oh, let Him weigh me with accurate scales,
And let God know my integrity.

“If my step has turned away from the way [of God],
Or if my heart has [covetously] followed my eyes,
Or if any spot [of guilt] has stained my hands,

What then could I do when God arises [to judge me]?
When He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?

If I have lifted my hand against the orphan,
Because I saw [that the judges would be] my help at the [council] gate,

“For tragedy from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty and exaltation I can do nothing [nor endure facing Him].

This also would have been [a heinous] sin calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes [and could not be persuaded otherwise by them].

But Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became indignant. His indignation was kindled and burned and he became upset with Job because he justified himself rather than God [and even expressed doubts about God’s character].

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

“I too will give my share of answers;
I too will express my opinion and share my knowledge.

“I must speak so that I may get relief;
I will open my lips and answer.

“The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life [which inspires me].

“Behold, I belong to God like you;
I too was formed out of the clay.

“Behold, I will not make you afraid or terrified of me [for I am only mortal and not God],
Nor should any pressure from me weigh heavily upon you.

‘Behold, God finds pretexts against me;
He counts me as His enemy.

“Look, let me answer you, in this you are not right or just;
For God is greater and far superior to man.

“For God speaks once,
And even twice, yet no one notices it [including you, Job].

“In a dream, a vision of the night [one may hear God’s voice],
When deep sleep falls on men
While slumbering upon the bed,

That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And keep him from pride;

He holds back his soul from the pit [of destruction],
And his life from passing over into Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

“Man is also disciplined with pain on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones,

“If there is an angel as a mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To explain to a man what is right for him [that is, how to be in right standing with God],

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]!’

“He will pray to God, and He shall be favorable to him,
So that he looks at His face with joy;
For God restores to man His righteousness [that is, his right standing with God—with its joys].

‘God has redeemed my life from going to the pit [of destruction],
And my life shall see the light.’”

[Elihu comments,] “Behold, God does all these things twice, yes, three times, with a man,

“Let us choose for ourselves that which is right;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.

“For Job has said, ‘I am righteous [and innocent],
But God has taken away my right;

“For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
When he takes delight and is pleased with God and obeys Him.’

“Therefore hear me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God that He would do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.

“For God pays a man according to his work,
And He will make every man find [appropriate] compensation according to his way.

“Surely God will not act wickedly,
Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.

“Who put God in charge over the earth?
And who has laid on Him the whole world?

“If God should determine to do so,
If He should gather to Himself [that is, withdraw from man] His [life-giving] spirit and His breath,

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

“Who is not partial to princes,
Nor does He regard the rich above the poor,
For they all are the work of His hands.

“For God’s eyes are on the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.

“For He sets no appointed time for a man,
That he should appear before Him in judgment.

“He strikes them like the wicked
In a public place,

“For has anyone said to God,
‘I have endured my chastisement;
I will not offend anymore;

“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.

‘For he adds rebellion [in his unsubmissive, defiant attitude toward God] to his [unacknowledged] sin;
He claps his hands among us [in open mockery and contempt of God],
And he multiplies his words [of accusation] against God.’”

“Do you think this is according to [your] justice?
Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?

“If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?
And if your transgressions are multiplied, what have you done to Him?

“If you are righteous, what do you give God,
Or what does He receive from your hand?

“Your wickedness affects only a man such as you,
And your righteousness affects only a son of man [but it cannot affect God, who is sovereign].

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

“Surely God will not listen to an empty cry [which lacks trust],
Nor will the Almighty regard it.

“And now, because He has not [quickly] punished in His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged transgression and arrogance well [and seems unaware of the wrong of which a person is guilty],

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

“Behold, God is mighty, and yet does not despise anyone [nor regard any as trivial];
He is mighty in the strength and power of understanding.

“He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous [those in right standing with Him];
But with kings upon the throne
He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.

“But if they do not hear and obey, they will die by the sword [of God’s destructive judgments]
And they will die [in ignorance] without [true] knowledge.

“Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress and confinement,
Into a broad place where there is no constraint or distress;
And that which was set on your table was full of fatness (rich food).

“Do not long for the night,
When people vanish from their places.

“Take heed and be careful, do not turn to wickedness,
For you have chosen this [the vice of complaining against God] rather than [learning from] affliction.

“Behold, God is exalted in His power;
Who is a ruler or a teacher like Him?

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

“Remember that you should magnify God’s work,
Of which men have sung.

“All men have seen God’s work;
Man looks at it from a distance.

“Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him;
The number of His years is unsearchable.

“For by these [mighty acts] He judges the peoples;
He gives food in abundance.