“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 what pleasure does he have in his house and family after he is dead,
When the number of his months [of life] is cut off?

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

“But who will confront him with his actions and rebuke him face to face,
And who will repay him for what he has done?

“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
That He enters into judgment against you?

“For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped men naked.

“They said to God, ‘Depart from us!
What can the Almighty do for us or to us?’

“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.

“He will even rescue the one [for whom you intercede] who is not innocent;
And he will be rescued through the cleanness of your hands.”

“But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it].
When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous].

“For He performs what is planned (appointed) for me,
And He is mindful of many such things.

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

“Why does the Almighty not set seasons for judgment?
Why do those who know Him not see His days [for punishment of the wicked]?

“They drive away the donkeys of the orphans;
They take the widow’s ox for a pledge.

“Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert,
The poor go to their work, diligently seeking food;
As bread for their children in the desert.

“They are wet from the rain of the mountains
And cling to the rock for lack of shelter.

“Others snatch the fatherless [infants] from the breast [to sell or make them slaves],
And against the poor they take a pledge [of clothing].

“They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves [of grain] from the hungry.

“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].

“The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me,’
And he covers his face.

“For the morning is the same to him as the thick darkness [of midnight];
For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

“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.

“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?

“Though his children are many, they are destined for the sword;
And his descendants will not have sufficient bread.

“He builds his house like a spider’s web,
Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.

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

“Surely there is a mine for silver,
And a place where they refine gold.

“Man puts an end to darkness [by bringing in a light],
And to the farthest bounds he searches out
The rock buried in gloom and deep shadow.

“[As for] the earth, out of it comes food,
But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire.

“It cannot be obtained for pure gold,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

“Gold and glass cannot equal wisdom,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.

“No mention of coral and crystal can be made;
For the possession of wisdom is even above [that of] rubies or pearls.

“For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.

When He made a limit for the rain
And a way for the thunderbolt,

Then He saw wisdom and declared it;
He established it and searched it out.

When my steps [through rich pastures] were washed with butter and cream [from my livestock],
And the rock poured out for me streams of oil [from my olive groves].

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

“For when an ear heard [my name mentioned], it called me happy and fortunate;
And when an eye saw [me], it testified for me [approvingly],

“The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

“They listened to me and waited
And kept silent for my counsel.

“They waited for me [and for my words] as for the rain,
And they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.

“I chose a way for them and sat as chief,
And dwelt as a king among his soldiers,
As one who comforts mourners.

“They pluck [and eat] saltwort (mallows) among the bushes,
And their food is the root of the broom shrub.

“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.

“For I know that You will bring me to death
And to the house of meeting [appointed] for all the living.

“However, does not one falling in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand?
Or in his disaster [will he not] therefore cry out for help?

“Did I not weep for one whose life was hard and filled with trouble?
Was not my heart grieved for the needy?

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

“I go about mourning without comfort [my skin blackened by disease, not by the heat of the sun];
I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

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

Let my wife grind [meal, like a bond slave] for another [man],
And let others kneel down over her.

“For adultery is a heinous and lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be a sin punishable by the judges.

“For it is a fire which consumes to Abaddon (destruction, ruin, final torment);
And [illicit passion] would burn and rage and uproot all my [life’s] increase [destroying everything].

“If I have withheld from the poor what they desired,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to look in vain [for relief],

If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or any poor person without covering,

If his loins have not thanked and blessed me [for clothing them],
And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

“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.

“Oh, that I had one to listen to me!
Look, here is my signature (mark);
Let the Almighty answer me!
Let my adversary write out His indictment [and put His vague accusations in tangible form].

“For if my land has cried out against me,
And its furrows weep together;

If I have eaten its fruits without paying for them,
Or have caused its [rightful] owners to lose their lives,

Elihu’s anger burned against Job’s three friends because they had found no answer [and were unable to determine Job’s error], and yet they had condemned Job and declared him to be in the wrong [and responsible for his own afflictions].

Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite said,

“I am young, and you are aged;
For that reason I was anxious and dared not tell you 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.

“Now Job has not directed his words against me [therefore I have no reason to be offended],
Nor will I answer him with arguments like yours. [I speak for truth, not for revenge.]

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

“I will not [I warn you] be partial to any man [that is, let my respect for you mitigate what I say];
Nor flatter any man.

“For I do not know how to flatter, [in an appropriate way, and I fear that],
My Maker would soon take me away.

“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.

“Why do you complain against Him?
That He does not answer [you with] all His doings.

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

“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],

“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].

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

“For the ear puts words to the test
As the palate tastes food.

“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.’

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

“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.

Because they turned aside from following Him
And would not consider or show regard for any of His ways,

“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.’”

“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].

“Because of the multitudes of oppressions the people cry out;
They cry for help because of the [violent] arm of the mighty.

“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.

“For truly my words are not false;
He who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

“Do not let wrath entice you into scoffing;
And do not let the greatness and the extent of the ransom turn you aside.

“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.

“For He draws up the drops of water,
They distill rain from the mist,

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

“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.’

“Whether [it be] for correction, or for His earth [generally]
Or for [His] mercy and lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.

When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy?

When I made the clouds its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,

And marked for it My [appointed] boundary
And set bars and doors [defining the shorelines],