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Elihu Claims to Speak for God

¹ "However now, Job, please ^(C1)hear my speech,
And listen to all my words.

² "Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my ^(F1)mouth speaks.

³ "My words are from the uprightness of my heart,
And my lips speak ^(C1)knowledge sincerely.

⁴ "The ^(C1)Spirit of God has made me,
And the ^(C2)breath of ^(F1)the Almighty gives me life.

⁵ "^(C1)Refute me if you can;
Array yourselves before me, take your stand.

⁶ "Behold, I belong to God like you;
I too have been ^(F1)formed out of the ^(C1)clay.

⁷ "Behold, ^(C1)no fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

⁸ "Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words:

⁹ 'I am ^(C1)pure, ^(C2)without transgression;
I am innocent and there ^(C3)is no guilt in me.

¹⁰ 'Behold, He ^(F1)invents pretexts against me;
He ^(C1)counts me as His enemy.

¹¹ 'He ^(C1)puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.'

¹² "Behold, let me ^(F1)tell you, ^(C1)you are not right in this,
For God is greater than man.

¹³ "Why do you ^(C1)complain against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?

¹⁴ "Indeed ^(C1)God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.

¹⁵ "In a ^(C1)dream, a vision of the night,
When sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,

¹⁶ Then ^(C1)He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction,

¹⁷ That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And ^(F1)keep man from pride;

¹⁸ He ^(C1)keeps back his soul from the pit,
And his life from ^(F1)passing over ^(C2)into Sheol.

¹⁹ "^(F1)Man is also chastened with ^(C1)pain on his bed,
And with unceasing complaint in his bones;

²⁰ So that his life ^(C1)loathes bread,
And his soul favorite food.

²¹ "His ^(C1)flesh wastes away from sight,
And his ^(C2)bones which were not seen stick out.

²² "Then ^(C1)his soul draws near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.

²³ "If there is an angel as ^(C1)mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a man what is ^(F1)right for him,

²⁴ Then let him be gracious to him, and say,
'Deliver him from ^(C1)going down to the pit,
I have found a ^(C2)ransom';

²⁵ Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;

²⁶ Then he will ^(C1)pray to God, and He will accept him,
That ^(C2)he may see His face with joy,
And He may restore His righteousness to man.

²⁷ "He will sing to men and say,
'I ^(C1)have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not ^(C2)proper for me.

²⁸ 'He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life shall ^(C1)see the light.'

²⁹ "Behold, God does ^(C1)all these ^(F1)oftentimes with men,

³⁰ To ^(C1)bring back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

³¹ "Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.

³² "Then if ^(F1)you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.

³³ "If not, ^(C1)listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom."