Read the Bible

Elihu Vindicates God's Justice

¹ Then Elihu continued and said,

² "Hear my words, you wise men,
And listen to me, you who know.

³ "For ^(C1)the ear tests words
As the palate tastes food.

⁴ "Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵ "For Job has said, '^(C1)I am righteous,
But ^(C2)God has taken away my right;

^6 (F1)Should I lie concerning my right?
My ^(F2)(C1)wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

⁷ "What man is like Job,
Who ^(C1)drinks up derision like water,

⁸ Who goes ^(C1)in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walks with wicked men?

⁹ "For he has said, '^(C1)It profits a man nothing
When he ^(F1)is pleased with God.'

¹⁰ "Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to ^(C1)do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.

¹¹ "For He pays a man according to ^(C1)his work,
And makes ^(F1)him find it according to his way.

¹² "Surely, ^(C1)God will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.

¹³ "Who ^(C1)gave Him authority over the earth?
And who ^(C2)has laid on Him the whole world?

¹⁴ "If He should ^(F1)determine to do so,
If He should ^(C1)gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,

¹⁵ All ^(C1)flesh would perish together,
And man would ^(C2)return to dust.

¹⁶ "But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.

¹⁷ "Shall ^(C1)one who hates justice rule?
And ^(C2)will you condemn the righteous mighty One,

¹⁸ Who says to a king, 'Worthless one,'
To nobles, 'Wicked ones';

¹⁹ Who shows no ^(C1)partiality to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the ^(C2)work of His hands?

²⁰ "In a moment they die, and ^(C1)at midnight
People are shaken and pass away,
And ^(C2)the mighty are taken away without a hand.

²¹ "For ^(C1)His eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.

²² "There is ^(C1)no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

²³ "For He does not ^(C1)need to consider a man further,
That he should go before God in judgment.

²⁴ "He breaks in pieces ^(C1)mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.

²⁵ "Therefore He ^(C1)knows their works,
And ^(C2)He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.

²⁶ "He ^(C1)strikes them like the wicked
^(F1)In a public place,

²⁷ Because they ^(C1)turned aside from following Him,
And ^(C2)had no regard for any of His ways;

²⁸ So that they caused ^(C1)the cry of the poor to come to Him,
And that He might ^(C2)hear the cry of the afflicted--

²⁹ When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,
That is, in regard to both nation and man?--

³⁰ So that ^(C1)godless men would not rule
Nor be snares of the people.

³¹ "For has anyone said to God,
'I have borne chastisement;
I will not offend anymore;

³² Teach me what I do not see;
If I have ^(C1)done iniquity,
I will not do it again'?

³³ "Shall He ^(C1)recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it?
For you must choose, and not I;
Therefore declare what you know.

³⁴ "Men of understanding will say to me,
And a wise man who hears me,

³⁵ 'Job ^(C1)speaks without knowledge,
And his words are without wisdom.

³⁶ 'Job ought to be tried ^(F1)to the limit,
Because he answers ^(C1)like wicked men.

³⁷ 'For he adds ^(C1)rebellion to his sin;
He ^(C2)claps his hands among us,
And multiplies his words against God.'"