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.

“Those [who are] abundant in years may not [always] be wise,
Nor may the elders [always] understand justice.

“I even paid close attention to [what] you [said],
Indeed, not one of you convinced Job [nor could you refute him],
Not one of you supplied [satisfactory] answers to his words.

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

“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.]

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

“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.

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

“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].

“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,

“His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
And his bones which were not seen now stick out.

“He sings out to other men,
‘I have sinned and perverted that which was right,
And it was not proper for me!

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

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

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

“Therefore He knows of their works,
And He overthrows them in the night,
So that they are crushed and destroyed.

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

So that godless men would not rule
Nor be snares for the people.

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

Teach me what I do not see [in regard to how I have sinned];
If I have done wrong (injustice, unrighteousness),
I will not do it again’?

“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,

“The people cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil men.

“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!

“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],

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

“He does not prolong the life of the wicked,
But gives the afflicted their justice.

“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.

“But the godless in heart store up anger [at the divine discipline];
They do not cry [to Him] for help when He binds them [with cords of affliction].

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

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

“Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds
Or the thundering of His pavilion?

“After it, His voice roars;
He thunders with the voice of His majesty,
And He does not restrain His lightning [against His adversaries] when His voice is heard.

“Men therefore fear Him;
He does not regard nor respect any who are wise in heart [in their own understanding and conceit].”

So that light may take hold of the corners of the earth
And shake the wickedness out of it?

“Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field;
They leave and do not return to them.

“He scorns the tumult of the city,
And does not hear the shouting of the taskmaster.

“She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;
Though her labor is in vain because she is unconcerned [for the safety of her brood],

“He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
And [in battle] he does not turn back from the sword.

“I have spoken once, but I will not reply again—
Indeed, twice [I have answered], and I will add nothing further.”

“If a river rages and overflows, he does not tremble;
He is confident, though the Jordan [River] swells and rushes against his mouth.

“Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle [with him]; you will not do such [an ill-advised thing] again!

“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Nor his mighty strength, nor his orderly frame.

“Upon earth there is nothing like him—no equal exists,
A creature made without fear.

“He looks on everything that is high [without terror];
He is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, who are you who does not dare to disturb the beast, yet who dares resist Me, the beast’s creator? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]”

“[You said to me] ‘Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge?’
Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

It came about that after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him [and his prayer] so that I may not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.”

Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example],
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers).

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.

And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season;
Its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].

The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so,
But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand [unpunished] in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

I will not be intimidated or afraid of the ten thousands
Who have set themselves against me all around.

Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Selah.

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil [person] dwells with You.

O Lord, do not rebuke or punish me in Your anger,
Nor discipline me in Your wrath.

I am weary with my groaning;
Every night I soak my bed with tears,
I drench my couch with my weeping.

If a man does not repent, God will sharpen His sword;
He has strung and bent His [mighty] bow and made it ready.

And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You,
For You, O Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.

For He who avenges blood [unjustly shed] remembers them (His people);
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted and abused.

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.

For the poor will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the burdened perish forever.

Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged before You.

The wicked, in the haughtiness of his face, will not seek nor inquire for Him;
All his thoughts are, “There is no God [so there is no accountability or punishment].”

He says to himself, “I will not be moved;
For throughout all generations I will not be in adversity [for nothing bad will happen to me].”

He lurks in a hiding place like a lion in his lair;
He lies in wait to catch the afflicted;
He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.

Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand [in judgment];
Do not forget the suffering.

Why has the wicked spurned and shown disrespect to God?
He has said to himself, “You will not require me to account.”

You have seen it, for You have noted mischief and vexation (irritation) to take it into Your hand.
The unfortunate commits himself to You;
You are the helper of the fatherless.

To vindicate and obtain justice for the fatherless and the oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer terrify them.

They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.

Have all the workers of wickedness and injustice no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon the Lord?

He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

In his eyes an evil person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord [and obediently worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].
He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit];

He does not put out his money at interest [to a fellow Israelite],
And does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.

The sorrows [pain and suffering] of those who have chosen another god will be multiplied [because of their idolatry];
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night.

I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

You have tried my heart;
You have visited me in the night;
You have tested me and You find nothing [evil in me];
I intend that my mouth will not transgress.

My steps have held closely to Your paths;
My feet have not staggered.

From men with Your hand, O Lord,
From men of the world [these moths of the night] whose portion [of enjoyment] is in this life—idle and vain,
And whose belly You fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And they leave what they have left [of wealth] to their children.

For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.

For all His ordinances were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.

You enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure,
So that my feet will not slip.

I shattered them so that they were not able to rise;
They fell [wounded] under my feet.

They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
Even to the Lord [they cried], but He did not answer them.

You have rescued me from the contentions of the people;
You have placed me as the head of the nations;
A people whom I have not known serve me.

Day after day pours forth speech,
And night after night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars];
Their voice is not heard.

Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous (deliberate, willful) sins;
Let them not rule and have control over me.
Then I will be blameless (complete),
And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.

You have given him his heart’s desire,
And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.

For they planned evil against You;
They devised a [malevolent] plot
And they will not succeed.