JOB 34 [†]Then Elihu answered and said:

2 “Hear my words, you wise men,

and give ear to me, you who know;

3[†] for  g the ear tests words

as the palate tastes food.

4[†] Let us choose  h what is right;

let us know among ourselves what is good.

5 For Job has said, ‘I am  i in the right,

and  j God has taken away my right;

6 in spite of my right I am counted a liar;

my wound is incurable, though I am  k without transgression.’

7 What man is like Job,

who  l drinks up scoffing like water,

8[†] who travels in company with evildoers

and walks  m with wicked men?

9[†] For  n he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

that he should take delight in God.’

10[†] “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:

far be it from God that he should  o do wickedness,

and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

11[^] For according to  p the work of a man he will repay him,

and  q according to his ways he will make it befall him.

12 Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,

and  r the Almighty will not pervert justice.

13 Who gave him charge over the earth,

and who  s laid on him [1] the whole world?

14 If he should  t set his heart to it

and  u gather to himself his  v spirit and his breath,

15 all flesh would perish together,

and man would  w return to dust.

16 “If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17  x Shall one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

18 who  y says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’

and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’

19 who  z shows no partiality to princes,

nor regards the rich  a more than the poor,

for  b they are all the work of his hands?

20 In a moment  c they die;

at  d midnight the people are shaken and pass away,

and the mighty are taken away by  e no human hand.

21 “For his eyes are on  f the ways of a man,

and he sees all his  f steps.

22 There is no  g gloom or  h deep darkness

where evildoers may hide themselves.

23[†] For God [2] has no need to consider a man further,

that he should go before God in  i judgment.

24 He  j shatters the mighty without investigation

and sets  l others in their place.

25 Thus, knowing their works,

he  m overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.

26[†] He strikes them for their wickedness

in a place for all to see,

27 because they turned aside from  n following him

and had no regard for any of his ways,

28 so that they  o caused the cry of the poor to come to him,

and he  p heard the cry of the afflicted—

29 When he is quiet, who can condemn?

When he hides his face, who can behold him,

whether it be a nation or a man?—

30 that a godless man should not reign,

that he should not ensnare the people.

31 “For has anyone said to God,

‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;

32  r teach me what I do not see;

if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?

33 Will he then make repayment to suit you,

because you reject it?

For you must choose, and not I;

therefore  s declare what you know. [3]

34[†] Men of understanding will say to me,

and the wise man who hears me will say:

35 ‘Job  t speaks without knowledge;

his words are without insight.’

36 Would that Job were tried to the end,

because he answers like wicked men.

37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;

he  u claps his hands among us

and multiplies his words against God.”