If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

Or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it;

(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided him from my mother's womb;)

If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;

If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,

If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in him the gate of my court,

For I have ever feared the vengeance and punishment of God, and knew very well that I was not able to bear his burden.

If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, 'My trust,'

if I have rejoiced because my wealth [was] great or because my hand found a fortune,

if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,

And my heart have been secretly enticed, so that my mouth kissed my hand:

This also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

"If I have rejoiced at [the] ruin of [the one who] hated me or have exulted when evil overtook him--

Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.

If the men of my tent have not, Oh that we had of his meat! we cannot be satisfied.

An alien has not lodged in the street; I have opened my door to the traveler.

If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,

For if I had feared any great multitude of people, or if I had been despised of the simple; Oh then should I have been afraid. Thus have I quietly spent my life, and not gone out at the door.

I have told the number of my goings, and delivered them unto him as to a prince.

If my land has cried out against me, and its furrows have wept together,

If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,

and against his three friends hath his anger burned, because that they have not found an answer, and condemn Job.

Elihu waited to have a word with Job, since the others were older than he,

And Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answereth and saith: -- Young I am in days, and ye are age Therefore I have feared, And am afraid of shewing you my opinion.

It is not the old who are wise, and those who are full of years have not the knowledge of what is right.

Therefore I have said: Hearken to me, I do shew my opinion -- even I.

Lo, I have waited for your words, I give ear unto your reasons, Till ye search out sayings.

Lest ye say, We have found wisdom, God doth thrust him away, not man.

Nevertheless, seeing he hath not spoken unto me, therefore will not I answer him as ye have done."

(They have broken down, They have not answered again, They removed from themselves words.

And I have waited, but they do not speak, For they have stood still, They have not answered any more.)

I have a good hope for my part to shape him an answer, and to show him my meaning.

For I have been full of words, Distressed me hath the spirit of my breast,

Therefore will I speak, that I may have vent: I will open my lips, and make answer.

For I have not known to give flattering titles, In a little doth my Maker take me away.

"But now, O Job, listen to my words, and hear everything I have to say!

Lo, I pray thee, I have opened my mouth, My tongue hath spoken in the palate.

Of the uprightness of my heart are my sayings, And knowledge have my lips clearly spoken.

Lo, I am, according to thy word, for God, From the clay I -- I also, have been formed.

Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the voice of your words, saying,

Pure am I, without transgression, Innocent am I, and I have no iniquity.

Why are you arguing with him? He doesn't have to give explanations for what he does to you!

Then He doth favour him and saith, 'Ransom him from going down to the pit, I have found an atonement.'

He looketh on men, and saith, 'I sinned, And uprightness I have perverted, And it hath not been profitable to me.

He hath ransomed my soul from passing away into the pit, - and, my life, in the light, shall have vision.

Mark well, O Job, and hear me: hold thee still until I have spoken.

If there are words -- answer me, Speak, for I have a desire to justify thee.

But if you have nothing to say, then at least listen to me! Be quiet and learn some wisdom from me."

Hear my words, O you wise men; and give ear unto me, you that have knowledge.

Let us make the decision for ourselves as to what is right; let us have the knowledge among ourselves of what is good.

For Job hath said, 'I have been righteous, And God hath turned aside my right,

Have I lied concerning the justice that I deserve? My wound is incurable, though transgression cannot be attributed to me.'

saying, I have not sinned, nor committed unrighteousness, nor had fellowship with workers of iniquity to go with the profane.

"Therefore, listen to me, {people who have sense}: far be it from God {that he should commit wickedness} and that Shaddai {should do wrong}.

"But if [you have] understanding, hear this; listen to {what I say}.

Who has no respect for rulers, and who gives no more attention to those who have wealth than to the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.

Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And none of His ways have considered wisely,

Insomuch that they have caused the voice of the poor to come unto him, and now he heareth the complaint of such as are in necessity.

For unto God hath any said: 'I have taken away, I do not corruptly,

Besides that which I see, shew Thou me, If iniquity I have done -- I do not add?'

Should God repay you on your terms
when you have rejected His?
You must choose, not I!
So declare what you know.

{Those who have sense} say to me, and [the] wise man hearing me [says]:

May Job be tested to the end, because his answers have been like those of evil men.

For you said, What advantage will it be unto you? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?

Behold attentively the heavens -- and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than thou.

If thou hast sinned, what dost thou against Him? And thy transgressions have been multiplied, What dost thou to Him?

Your evil-doing may have an effect on a man like yourself, or your righteousness on a son of man.

"They cry out because they have many oppressors; they cry for help because the powerful are abusing them.

Job uselessly opens his mouth
And multiplies words without knowledge [drawing the worthless conclusion that the righteous have no more advantage than the wicked].”

"Bear with me a little longer, and {I will explain}, for {I still have something to say on God's behalf}.

because what I have to say isn't deceptive, and the one who has perfect knowledge is with you."

He will not withdraw - from a righteous one - his eyes, - but, with kings on the throne, He hath seated men triumphantly, and they have been exalted.

But, if, bound in fetters, they have been captured with cords of affliction,

Then He declareth to them their work, And their transgressions, Because they have become mighty,

Those who have a godless heart harbor anger;
even when God binds them, they do not cry for help.

Even so would he have allured thee out of the jaws of distress into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and the supply of thy table would be full of fatness.

But you have fulfilled the judgment of the wicked: judgment and justice take hold on you.

Take care, you must not turn to mischief, for because of this you have been tried by misery.

Who has prescribed his way for him? Or who says, 'You have done wrong'?

Remember that thou magnify His work That men have beheld.

All men have looked on it, Man looketh attentively from afar.

He does wonders, more than may be searched out; great things of which we have no knowledge;

"When he commandeth the snow, it falleth upon the earth: As soon as he giveth the rain a charge, immediately the showers have their strength, and fall down.

Have you knowledge of God's ordering of his works, how he makes the light of his cloud to be seen?

Have you knowledge of the balancings of the clouds, the wonders of him who has all wisdom?

Have you with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten mirror?

How may he have knowledge of my desire for talk with him? or did any man ever say, May destruction come on me?

And now, they have not seen the light, Bright it is in the clouds, And the wind hath passed by and cleanseth them.

The Mighty! we have not found Him out, High in power and judgment, He doth not answer! And abundant in righteousness,

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if you have understanding.

By whom were its measures fixed? Say, if you have wisdom; or by whom was the line stretched out over it?

On what have its sockets been sunk? Or who hath cast its corner-stone?

"Have you {ever in your life} commanded [the] morning? Have you made the dawn know its place,

"Have you entered into [the] sea's sources? Or have you walked around in [the] recesses of the deep?

Have [the] gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen [the] gates of deep shadow?

Have you considered closely [the] earth's vast expanse? Declare [it], if you know all of it.

Don’t you know? You were already born;
you have lived so long!

Have you entered into [the] storehouses of [the] snow, or have you seen [the] storehouses of [the] hail,

That I have kept back for a time of distress, For a day of conflict and battle.

Does the rain have a father? Or who fathers the drops of dew?