Job 34 — ULB

34Verse 1Moreover, Elihu continued to speak:^{Verse 2}“Listen to my words, you wise men;
hear me, you who have knowledge.
^{Verse 3}For the ear tries words
as the palate tastes food.
^{Verse 4}Let us choose for ourselves what is just:
let us discover among ourselves what is good.
^{Verse 5}For Job has said, 'I am righteous,
but God has taken away my rights.
^{Verse 6}Regardless of my rights, I am considered to be a liar.
My wound is incurable, although I am without sin.'
^{Verse 7}What man is like Job,
who drinks up mockery like water,
^{Verse 8}who goes around in the company of those who do evil,
and who walks with wicked men?
^{Verse 9}For he has said, 'It is no use to a person
to take pleasure in doing what God wants.'
^{Verse 10}So listen to me, you men of understanding:
far be it from God that he should do wickedness;
far be it from the Almighty that he should commit sin.
^{Verse 11}For he pays back a person's work;
he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways.
^{Verse 12}Indeed, God does nothing wicked,
nor does the Almighty ever pervert justice.
^{Verse 13}Who put him in charge over the earth?
Who put the whole world under him?
^{Verse 14}If he ever set his intentions only on himself,
and if he ever gathered back to himself his spirit and his breath,
^{Verse 15}then all flesh would perish together;
mankind would return to dust again.
^{Verse 16}If now you have understanding, listen to this;
listen to the sound of my words.
^{Verse 17}Can one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty?
^{Verse 18}God, who says to a king, 'You are vile,'
or says to nobles, 'You are wicked'?
^{Verse 19}God, who does not show favoritism to leaders
and does not acknowledge rich people more than poor,
for they all are the work of his hands.
^{Verse 20}In a moment they will die;
at midnight people will be shaken and will pass away;
mighty people will be taken away, but not by human hands.
^{Verse 21}For God's eyes are upon a person's ways;
he sees all his steps.
^{Verse 22}There is no darkness, no thick gloom
where the doers of iniquity may hide themselves.
^{Verse 23}For God does not need to examine a person further;
there is no need for any person to go before him in judgment.
^{Verse 24}He breaks mighty men into pieces for their ways that need no further investigation;
he puts others in their places.
^{Verse 25}In this way he has knowledge of their deeds;
he overthrows these people in the night; they are destroyed.
^{Verse 26}In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals
^{Verse 27}because they turned away from following him
and refused to acknowledge any of his ways.
^{Verse 28}In this way, they made the cry of poor people come to him;
he heard the cry of afflicted people.
^{Verse 29}When he stays silent, who can condemn him?
If he hides his face, who can perceive him?
He rules over nation and individual alike,
^{Verse 30}so that a godless man may not rule,
so that there may be no one to entrap people.
^{Verse 31}Suppose someone says to God,
'I am certainly guilty, but I will not sin any longer;
^{Verse 32}teach me what I cannot see;
I have committed sin, but I will do it no longer.'
^{Verse 33}Do you think that God will punish that person's sin, since you dislike what God does?
You must choose, not I.
So say what it is that you know.
^{Verse 34}Men of understanding will say to me—
indeed, every wise man who hears me will say,
^{Verse 35}'Job speaks without knowledge;
his words are without wisdom.'
^{Verse 36}If only Job were put on trial in the smallest details of his case
because of his talking like wicked men.
^{Verse 37}For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he claps his hands in mockery in our midst;
he piles up words against God.”