“Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,
And why do those who know Him not see His days?

“They push the needy aside from the road;
The poor of the land are made to hide themselves altogether.

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

“From the city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out;
Yet God does not pay attention to folly.

“Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor abide in its paths.

“In the dark they dig into houses,
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light.

“For the morning is the same to him as thick darkness,
For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.

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

“Dominion and awe belong to Him
Who establishes peace in His heights.

“Is there any number to His troops?
And upon whom does His light not rise?

“What a help you are to the weak!
How you have saved the arm without strength!

“What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly provided!

“To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit was expressed through you?

“Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

“Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you act foolishly?

“His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And their widows will not be able to weep.

“For it will hurl at him without sparing;
He will surely try to flee from its power.

“Man puts an end to darkness,
And to the farthest limit he searches out
The rock in gloom and deep shadow.

“He sinks a shaft far from habitation,
Forgotten by the foot;
They hang and swing to and fro far from men.

“He dams up the streams from flowing,
And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

“Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned;
And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls.

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

“When He imparted weight to the wind
And meted out the waters by measure,

“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

“When I went out to the gate of the city,
When I took my seat in the square,

The voice of the nobles was hushed,
And their tongue stuck to their palate.

“The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.

“I was eyes to the blind
And feet to the lame.

“I was a father to the needy,
And I investigated the case which I did not know.

“Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
And I shall multiply my days as the sand.

‘My root is spread out to the waters,
And dew lies all night on my branch.

“To me they listened and waited,
And kept silent for my counsel.

“But now those younger than I mock me,
Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock.

“Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?
Vigor had perished from them.

“And now I have become their taunt,
I have even become a byword to them.

“They abhor me and stand aloof from me,
And they do not refrain from spitting at my face.

“I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me;
I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.

“You have become cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You persecute me.

“You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride;
And You dissolve me in a storm.

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

“I have become a brother to jackals
And a companion of ostriches.

“Therefore my harp is turned to mourning,
And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

“Is it not calamity to the unjust
And disaster to those who work iniquity?

“If my step has turned from the way,
Or my heart followed my eyes,
Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,

“For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon,
And would uproot all my increase.

What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?

“If I have kept the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

“For calamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

“No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in a curse.

“The alien has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the traveler.

“Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my signature;
Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my adversary has written,

Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.

“I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him.

If I have eaten its fruit without money,
Or have caused its owners to lose their lives,

Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.

So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said,
“I am young in years and you are old;
Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.

“So I say, ‘Listen to me,
I too will tell what I think.’

“Behold, I waited for your words,
I listened to your reasonings,
While you pondered what to say.

“I even paid close attention to you;
Indeed, there was no one who refuted Job,
Not one of you who answered his words.

“Do not say,
‘We have found wisdom;
God will rout him, not man.’

“For he has not arranged his words against me,
Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.

“Shall I wait, because they do not speak,
Because they stop and no longer answer?

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

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

“Let me now 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 hear my speech,
And listen to all my words.

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

“Why do you complain against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?

“Then his soul draws near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.

“If there is an angel as mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a man what is right for him,

Then let him be gracious to him, and say,
‘Deliver him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom’;

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

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

“He will sing to men and say,
‘I have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not proper for me.

‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life shall see the light.’

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

“If not, listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

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

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

“For He pays a man according to his work,
And makes him find it according to his way.

“If He should determine to do so,
If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,

All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.

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

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

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

“In a moment they die, and at midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And the mighty are taken away without a hand.

“For He does not need to consider a man further,
That he should go before God in judgment.

So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He might 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?—

“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 done iniquity,
I will not do it again’?

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

‘Job ought to be tried to the limit,
Because he answers like wicked men.

‘For he adds rebellion to his sin;
He claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.’”

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

“For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You?
What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’