Elihu Asserts God’s Justice

34 Thus[fn] Elihu ⌊spoke up⌋[fn] and said,

• 2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
• and listen to me, you who know,
• 3 for the ear tests words,
• and the palate tastes food .[fn]
• 4 Let us choose justice for ourselves;
• let us determine among ourselves what is good—
• 5 for Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
• but God has taken away my justice.
• 6 Should I lie concerning my justice?
• Though I am without transgression, my wound caused by an arrow is incurable.’
• 7 What man is like Job,
• who drinks scorn like water?
• 8 And he goes on the road in company with instigators of mischief,
• and walks with men of wickedness.
• 9 Indeed, he says, ‘A man does not profit
• when he takes delight in God.’
• 10 “Therefore, listen to me, people who have sense :[fn]
• far be it from God that he should commit wickedness[fn]
• and that Shaddai should do wrong .[fn]
• 11 Indeed, he will repay according to a human being’s deeds,
• and according to a man’s way he will let it happen to him.
• 12 What’s more, God truly does not act wickedly,
• and Shaddai does not pervert justice.
• 13 Who gave him charge over the earth?
• Or[fn] who laid on him the whole world?
• 14 If he should set his heart to it,
• and he should gather his spirit and his breath to himself,
• 15 all flesh would perish together,
• and humankind would return to dust.
• 16 “But[fn] if you have understanding, hear this;
• listen to what I say .[fn]
• 17 Shall he who hates justice really govern?
• Or will you[fn] declare the Righteous One, the Mighty, guilty?—
• 18 the one who says to a king,
• ‘You worthless man,’ to noblemen, ‘You wicked man,’
• 19 who shows no partiality to officials[fn]
• and who does not take note of the noble more than of the insignificant ,[fn]
• for all of them are the work of his hands?
• 20 In a moment they die,
• and in the middle of the night the people are shaken, and they pass away,
• and they take away the mighty effortlessly .[fn]
• 21 “Indeed, his eyes are upon the ways of man,
• and he sees all his steps.
• 22 There is no darkness, and there is no deep shadow
• where instigators of mischief might hide themselves.
• 23 Indeed, he has not yet appointed a time for man
• to go to God in the judgment.
• 24 He shatters the mighty without investigation,
• and he sets others in their place.
• 25 Therefore he knows their works,
• and he overturns them in the night
• so that[fn] they are crushed.
• 26 He strikes them where the wicked stood ,[fn]
• where there are onlookers ,[fn]
• 27 because they have turned aside from him
• and have not understood any of his ways,
• 28 so that they cause the cry of distress from the helpless to come to him,
• and he hears the cry of distress from the needy,
• 29 but he remains quiet, and who can condemn?
• And he hides his face, and who can behold him?
• Yet[fn] he is over a nation and over a person alike,
• 30 so that godless human beings should not reign,
• nor those who ensnare the people.
• 31 “Indeed, does anyone say to God, ‘I have endured chastisement;
• I will not act corruptly again;
• 32 teach me yourself what I cannot see ;[fn]
• if I have done wrong, I will not repeat it’?
• 33 According to your judgment ,[fn] must he repay it because you rejected this?
• Indeed, you must choose, and not I, so[fn] declare what you know.
• 34 Those who have sense[fn] say to me,
• and the wise man hearing me says:
• 35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge,
• and his words are without insight.
• 36 Would that Job were tested up to the end
• because his answers are like those from men of mischief,
• 37 for he adds transgression to his sin;
• he claps hands among us,
• and he multiplies his words against God.’ ”