\v 3 He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, one thousand oxen, and five hundred donkeys. He also had many servants. This was the man who was the richest man in all the area east of the Jordan River.
\v 4 Job's sons often held feasts in their houses. Whenever each one made a feast, he would invite all of his brothers and sisters to come and eat together.
\v 5 After each celebration, Job would summon them. He would ask Yahweh to purify them from any action they might have committed during their feasting that would make them unacceptable to him. He would get up early in the morning, kill animals, and burn them on the altar as sacrifices, one for each of his children. For Job always said, "Perhaps my children have sinned and said something evil about God in their hearts."
\v 7 Yahweh asked Satan, "Where have you just come from?"
\p Satan replied, "I have come from the earth, where I been traveling back and forth to see what is happening."
\p
\v 8 Yahweh said to Satan, "Have you noticed Job, who worships me? No one else on earth honors me and lives in such a right way as he does. He always refuses to do anything evil."
\s5
\v 9 Satan replied to Yahweh, "What you say is true, but Job honors you only because of what you have done for him.
\v 10 You have always protected him, his family, and everything he owns. You make him succeed in whatever work he tries to do, and he has very much livestock all over his land.
\v 11 But if you attacked what he owns and took it away, he would curse you in front of everyone."
\p
\v 12 Yahweh replied to Satan, "So this is what you want me to do! All right, I will permit you to take away everything that he has. But do not harm him in his own body."
\p Satan agreed and then left Yahweh in order to plan how he would attack Job.
\s5
\p
\v 13 One day after that, Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the home of their oldest brother.
\v 14 While they were doing that, a messenger arrived at Job's home and said to him, "While your oxen were plowing the fields and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
\v 15 a group of men from the people of Sheba came and attacked us. They killed all of your servants who were working in the fields and took away all the oxen and donkeys! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened."
\v 16 While he was still talking to Job, another messenger arrived. He said to Job, "Lightning from the sky struck and killed all the sheep and all the men who were taking care of them! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened."
\p
\v 17 While he was still talking to Job, a third messenger arrived. He said to Job, "Three groups of robbers from the region of Chaldea came and attacked us. They stole all the camels and killed all the men who were taking care of them. I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened."
\s5
\p
\v 18 While he was still talking to Job, a fourth messenger arrived. He said to Job: "Your sons and daughters were feasting in the home of their oldest brother.
\v 19 Suddenly a very strong wind came from the desert and struck the house. The house collapsed on your sons and daughters and killed them all! I am the only one who has escaped to come and tell you what happened."
\s5
\p
\v 20 Then Job stood up and tore his robe and shaved his head because he was very sad. Then he laid down on the ground to worship God.
\v 21 He said,
\q1 "When I was born, I was wearing no clothes.
\q1 When I die, I will not take any clothes with me.
\q1 It is Yahweh who gave me everything that I possessed,
\v 22 So in spite of all the things that happened to Job, he did not speak like a foolish man—he did not sin by saying that what God had done was wrong.
\v 1 On another day, the angels came again and gathered together in front of Yahweh; Satan also came again.
\v 2 Yahweh asked Satan, "Where have you come from this time?" Satan replied, "I have come from the earth, where I have been traveling back and forth to see what is happening."
\p He continues to honor me; he is very exceptional, for he lives in a way that is more right than anyone else on the earth. He does this even though you persuaded me to attack him for no reason."
\s5
\p
\v 4 Satan replied to Yahweh, "He praises you only because you have helped him. People will give up everything they have to save their own lives.
\v 5 But if you harm his body, he will surely curse you in front of everyone!"
\p
\v 6 Yahweh replied to Satan, "All right, you may do to him whatever you like, but do not cause him to die."
\s5
\p
\v 7 So Satan left, and he caused Job to suffer with very painful boils, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.
\v 8 Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped the boils on his skin, and he sat in ashes to mourn and wail.
\v 10 But Job replied, "You talk like people talk who do not know God. We should not only accept the good things that God does for us. We should also accept the bad things." So in spite of all these things that happened to Job, he did not offend God by saying anything against him.
\s5
\p
\v 11 Among Job's friends were Eliphaz from the town of Teman, Bildad from the land of Shuah, and Zophar from the land of Naamah. When they heard about all the terrible things that had happened to Job, they left their homes and went together to Job to mourn with him and to comfort him.
\s5
\v 12 But when they saw Job from a distance, they almost did not recognize him. They wailed loudly, they tore their robes, and they threw dust into the air that settled on their heads. They did this to show how sorry they were for him.
\v 13 Then they sat on the ground with Job for seven days. None of them said anything to him, because they saw that he was suffering greatly, and they did not think that anything that they could say would lessen his pain.
\s5
\c 3
\p
\v 1 Finally, Job spoke, and he cursed the day that he was born.
\q2 and he places the earth in that huge empty space, but it is not resting on anything.
\q1
\v 8 He fills the thick clouds with water
\q2 and prevents that water from bursting the clouds.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 He causes clouds to obscure the moon.
\q1
\v 10 He separates the light from the darkness
\q2 and puts the horizon to mark the place where the night ends and the daytime begins.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 When he is angry, it is as though he rebuked the pillars that hold up the sky.
\q2 They are shocked, and they tremble.
\q1
\v 12 By his power he calmed the sea;
\q2 by his skill he destroyed Rahab, the huge sea monster.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 By his breath he caused the sky to be bright;
\q2 by his hand he killed the great dragon in the sea as it was fleeing from him.
\q1
\v 14 But those events show only a small amount of his power;
\q2 it is as though we were hearing only whispers of his powerful voice.
\q2 When we hear thunder, we say, 'Who can really understand how great his power is?'"
\s5
\c 27
\p
\v 1 Job continued speaking to his three friends:
\q1
\v 2 "Almighty God has refused to treat me justly.
\q2 He has caused me to feel bitter.
\q2 But just as surely as he lives,
\q1
\v 3 I will say this as long as God's Spirit enables me to breathe!
\s5
\q1
\v 4 I will not lie!
\q2 I will not say anything to deceive anyone.
\q1
\v 5 I will never admit that what you three have said is true;
\q2 until the day that I die, I will insist that I have not done things that are wrong.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 I will say that I am innocent, and I will never say anything different;
\q2 my inner being will never reproach me as long as I live.
\q1
\v 7 I want God to punish my enemies like he will punish all wicked people;
\q2 I want him to punish those who oppose me like he punishes all unrighteous people.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 When it is time for God to get rid of godless people and to cause them to die,
\q2 there is absolutely nothing good that they can confidently expect to happen to them.
\q1
\v 9 When they experience troubles, God will not hear them call out to him for help, will he?
\q1
\v 10 Will they be happy about what Almighty God does?
\q2 Will they begin to pray to him frequently?
\q2 Certainly not!
\s5
\q1
\v 11 I will teach you three something about God's power;
\q2 I will reveal to you what he is thinking.
\q1
\v 12 You three have seen for yourselves powerful things that God has done;
\q2 so I do not understand why you have been saying such nonsense to me.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 I will tell you what Almighty God does to wicked people,
\q2 what he does to people who mistreat others.
\q1
\v 14 Even if they have many children, those children will die in wars,
\q2 or they will die because they do not have enough food to eat.
\s5
\q1
\v 15 Their children who are still alive after they themselves die will perish from diseases,
\q2 and the wives they leave behind will not even mourn for them.
\q1
\v 16 Sometimes wicked people accumulate a huge amount of silver
\q2 and pile up clothes as potters pile up clay,
\q1
\v 17 but those wicked people will die, and then righteous people will wear those clothes,
\q2 and honest people will get their silver and divide it among themselves.
\s5
\q1
\v 18 The houses that they build are as weak as spider webs;
\q2 they are like flimsy huts that watchmen live in while they guard people's fields.
\q1
\v 19 The wicked people are rich when they lie down at night,
\q2 but when they wake up in the morning, they find out that their money has disappeared.
\s5
\q1
\v 20 Things that terrify them come to them like a flood that they do not expect;
\q2 during the night a whirlwind carries them away.
\q1
\v 21 It is as though the wind from the east had picked them up and carried them away from their homes,
\q2 and they disappear forever.
\s5
\q1
\v 22 That wind strikes them without pitying them
\q2 while they are running away, trying to escape from its force.
\q1
\v 23 That wind is like someone clapping his hands at them to mock them,
\q2 howling at them and forcing them to run away."
\s5
\c 28
\q1
\v 1 "It is true that there are places where men dig to find silver,
\q2 and there are places where people refine gold that they have dug.
\q1
\v 2 People dig iron ore out of the ground,
\q2 and they also smelt copper.
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Men use lamps while they work far down under the ground
\q2 to search for the ore inside the mines
\q2 where it is very dark.
\q1
\v 4 They dig shafts in places that are far from where people live,
\q2 where travelers do not go.
\q1 They work far away from other people,
\q2 swinging back and forth on ropes as they descend into the mine shafts.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 Food grows on the surface of the ground,
\q2 but down under the ground, where there is no food, the miners make fires to break apart the rocks.
\q1
\v 6 The stones that are dug from under the ground contain sapphires,
\q2 and the dirt contains bits of gold.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Some birds have very good eyes,
\q1 but even hawks do not know where the mines are,
\q2 and falcons have not seen those places.
\q1
\v 8 Lions or other proud wild animals have never gone to those places.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 Miners dig very hard rock;
\q2 it is as though they turned the mountains upside down to get the ore.
\q1
\v 10 They cut tunnels through the rocks,
\q2 and they find precious things.
\q1
\v 11 They dam up small streams to stop the water from flowing,
\q2 and they bring up into the light things that are hidden in the ground and in the streams.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 But wisdom: Where can people find that?
\q2 Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
\q1
\v 13 Humans do not know what wisdom is truly worth;
\q2 no one can find it here on this earth where they are living.
\q1
\v 14 It is as though the water that is under the earth and water that is in the seas said,
\q2 'I do not have it!'
\s5
\q1
\v 15 People cannot buy wisdom
\q2 by paying for it with silver or gold.
\q1
\v 16 Wisdom is worth much more than fine gold from the land of Ophir,
\q2 much more than very valuable stones.
\q1
\v 17 It is worth much more than gold or beautiful quartz;
\q2 wisdom is more expensive than the finest jewels, and it is worth more than a vase made with pure gold.
\s5
\q1
\v 18 Wisdom is worth more than coral or crystal quartz;
\q2 the price of wisdom is higher than the price of rubies.
\q1
\v 19 The prices of topaz from Ethiopia and of pure gold
\q2 are lower than the value of wisdom.
\s5
\q1
\v 20 So from where does wisdom come?
\q2 Where can we find out how to truly understand things?
\q1
\v 21 No living humans can see it;
\q2 and birds cannot see it while they are up in the sky.
\q1
\v 22 It is as though the places where people go after they die said,
\q2 'We have only heard rumors about where to find wisdom.'
\s5
\q1
\v 23 God is the only one who knows how to find wisdom;
\q2 he knows where it is
\q1
\v 24 because he can see things even in the most remote places on the earth;
\q2 he can see everything that is below the sky.
\q1
\v 25 He decided how strongly the winds should blow,
\q2 and how much rain should be in the clouds.
\s5
\q1
\v 26 He decided where rain should fall,
\q2 and what path lightning should take from the clouds down to the ground.
\q1
\v 27 At that time he saw wisdom and decided that it is very valuable.
\q2 He examined it and approved it.
\q1
\v 28 And then he said to human beings, 'Listen! If you have much respect for me, you will be able to become wise;
\q2 to truly understand everything, you must first turn away from doing what is evil.'"
\s5
\c 29
\p
\v 1 Job spoke again and said this:
\q1
\v 2 "I wish that I could be as I was previously
\q2 during the years when God took care of me.
\q1
\v 3 During those years, it was as though God's lamp shone on me
\q2 and gave me light while I walked in the darkness.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 At that time I was young and strong,
\q2 and because God was my friend, he protected where I lived.
\q1
\v 5 Almighty God was with me during those years
\q2 when all my children were around me.
\q1
\v 6 My herds provided me with plenty of milk,
\q2 and streams of oil flowed from the rock where my servants pressed the olives.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Whenever I went to the place where the elders gathered at the city gate,
\q2 I sat down with them,
\q1
\v 8 and when the young men saw me, they stepped aside respectfully,
\q2 and the old men also stood respectfully.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 The leaders of the people used to stop talking,
\q1
\v 10 and even the most important men became quiet
\q2 and stopped talking in order to hear me speak to them.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 When they all heard what I told them,
\q2 they said good things about me.
\q1 When they saw me, they always praised me
\q1
\v 12 because I had helped those who were poor when they cried out for help,
\q2 and because I aided those who had no fathers, those who had no one else to help them.
\q1
\v 13 Those who were suffering and about to die praised me,
\q2 and I caused widows to sing joyfully, because I helped them.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 I always acted justly;
\q2 my actions were like a robe that I wore and like a turban that was wrapped around my head.
\q1
\v 15 It was as though I myself saw for blind people
\q2 and walked for people who were lame.
\q1
\v 16 I was like a father to the poor people,
\q2 and in the courts I defended those who were strangers to me.
\s5
\q1
\v 17 I made wicked people stop oppressing others; it was like someone who breaks the teeth of wild animals
\q2 and forces them to drop their victims from their teeth.
\q1
\v 18 At that time I thought, 'Surely I will live in peace until I am very old,
\q2 and I will die at home with my family.
\q1
\v 19 I am like a tree whose roots reach down into the water
\q2 and whose branches become wet with dew each night.
\s5
\q1
\v 20 People always honor me,
\q2 and I am always strong like a new bow.'
\q1
\v 21 When I spoke, people waited to hear what I would say;
\q2 they remained silent until I advised them what they should do.
\q1
\v 22 After I finished speaking, they did not say anymore;
\q2 it was as though my words fell on their ears like drops of rain.
\s5
\q1
\v 23 They waited for me to speak as they wait for rain;
\q2 they liked what I said as farmers appreciate the final rain in the spring before the dry season.
\q1
\v 24 When they were sad, I smiled at them to encourage them;
\q2 they became encouraged when they saw my cheerful face.
\s5
\q1
\v 25 I was their leader, and I decided what things would be good for them to do;
\q2 I was among them like a king who is among his troops;
\q2 I was like someone who comforts others who are mourning."
\s5
\c 30
\q1
\v 1 "But now, men who are younger than I am make fun of me—
\q2 men whose fathers I greatly despised—
\q2 their fathers, whom I would not even have allowed to help my dogs guard my sheep.
\q1
\v 2 They were men who were old and weak;
\q2 what could I gain from having these men work for me, even when they thought they were strong?
\q1
\v 3 They were very poor and hungry,
\q2 so that they chewed on roots at night
\q2 in dry and desolate places.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 They pulled up plants in the desert and ate them;
\q2 they warmed themselves by burning the roots of broom trees.
\q1
\v 5 Everyone shouted at them, "Stop, thief!"
\q2 and drove them from their area.
\q1
\v 6 They were forced to live in riverbeds,
\q2 in holes in the ground, and in the sides of cliffs.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 In the bushes they howled like animals because they were hungry,
\q2 and they huddled together under thornbushes.
\q1
\v 8 They were people without good sense,
\q2 whose names no one knows;
\q1 they were driven out from the land where they were born.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 Now their children sing songs to make fun of me.
\q2 They tell jokes about me.
\q1
\v 10 They are disgusted with me, and they stay away from me,
\q2 but when they see me, they are happy to spit in my face.
\q1
\v 11 It seems as though God had cut my bowstring and caused me to be unable to defend myself; he has humbled me,
\q2 and my enemies have done to me whatever they wanted.
\s5
\q1
\v 12 Gangs of these people attack me and force me to run away;
\q2 they prepare to destroy me.
\q1
\v 13 They prevent me from escaping,
\q2 and there is no one to keep them from attacking me.
\s5
\q1
\v 14 It is as though I were a city wall and they had broken through it,
\q2 as though they had come crashing down on me.
\q1
\v 15 I am very terrified;
\q2 my dignity has been blown away by the wind,
\q2 and my prosperity has disappeared as clouds disappear.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 Now I am about to die;
\q2 I suffer every day.
\q1
\v 17 My bones ache during the nights,
\q2 and the pain that torments me never stops.
\s5
\q1
\v 18 It is as though God had grabbed my clothes
\q2 and choked me by the collar of my coat.
\q1
\v 19 He has thrown me into the mud;
\q2 I am not worth anything more than dust and ashes.
\s5
\q1
\v 20 I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer me;
\q2 I stand up and pray, but you do not pay any attention.
\q1
\v 21 You act very cruelly toward me;
\q2 with all of your power you cause me to suffer.
\s5
\q1
\v 22 You allow the wind to lift me up and blow me away;
\q2 and you make a violent storm blow me around.
\q1
\v 23 I know that you will cause me to die,
\q2 which is what happens to everyone who is alive.
\s5
\q1
\v 24 When people experience disasters,
\q2 they sit on a pile of ruins and cry out for help;
\q2 they certainly cry out for help.
\q1
\v 25 I myself wept for people who were experiencing troubles,
\q2 and I felt sorry for poor people.
\q1
\v 26 However, when I expected good things to happen to me, evil things happened;
\q2 when I waited for light, I experienced darkness instead.
\s5
\q1
\v 27 I am very distressed all the time;
\q2 I suffer every day.
\q1
\v 28 I go about very discouraged;
\q2 I stand up and plead for people to help me.
\q1
\v 29 My wailing is as sad as jackals and ostriches in the wilderness.
\s5
\q1
\v 30 My skin has become dark and is peeling off,
\q2 and I have a fever which causes my body to feel as though it were burning up with a fever.
\q1
\v 31 Previously, I played joyful music on my harp and with my flute,
\q2 but now I play only the sad music of those who mourn."
\s5
\c 31
\q1
\v 1 "I made to myself a solemn promise
\q2 that I would not look at a young woman and want to sleep with her.
\q1
\v 2 If I did not do what I promised,
\q2 what would God who is in heaven give me?
\q2 Almighty God would certainly not give me any reward!
\s5
\q1
\v 3 Previously I thought that surely it was unrighteous people who would experience calamities,
\q2 and that it was those who do what is wrong who would experience disasters.
\q1
\v 4 God certainly sees everything that I do,
\q2 so why is he causing me to suffer?
\q2 It is as though he were counting every step that I take.
\s5
\q1
\v 5 I solemnly declare that I have never acted wickedly
\q2 and have never tried to deceive people.
\q1
\v 6 I request only that God judge me fairly;
\q2 if he does that, he will know that I am innocent.
\s5
\q1
\v 7 If it were true that I had turned away from walking on the right paths,
\q2 or that I had seen wrong things to do and then did them,
\q2 or that my hands were stained because I had sinned,
\q1
\v 8 then I hope that when I plant seeds, someone else will harvest the crops and eat them,
\q2 and that others will uproot the crops that I have planted.
\s5
\q1
\v 9 If it is true that I have been attracted by some other man's wife,
\q2 or that I have hidden myself and waited outside the door to her house,
\q1
\v 10 I hope another man will sleep with my own wife
\q2 and that she will sleep with him.
\s5
\q1
\v 11 For me to do that would be a terrible sin,
\q2 and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
\q1
\v 12 My adultery would produce in me a fire like the fire that burns people in hell,
\q2 and it would burn up everything that I own.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 If it is true that I have ever refused to listen to one of my male or female servants
\q2 when they complained to me about something,
\q1
\v 14 I hope that God would stand up and declare that he will punish me;
\q2 when he does that, what could I do?
\q2 If he asked me about what I have done, what would I answer?
\q1
\v 15 God, who created me, certainly also created my servants;
\q2 surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers' wombs,
\q2 so we all should behave toward each other in the same way.
\s5
\q1
\v 16-18 From the time I was young I have taken care of orphans;
All my life I have never given the widowed mothers a reason to lose hope.
\q1 So if it is true that I ate all my food myself and did not share some of it with orphans,
\q2 or that I refused to give poor people the things that they wanted,
\q2 or that I caused widows to live in despair, then you do to me whatever you must do to me.
\s5
\q1
\v 19 If I had seen people die from cold because they had no clothes,
\q2 or that I had seen poor people who did not have clothes to keep them warm,
\q1
\v 20 and they were not able to become warm from clothes made from the wool of my sheep
\q2 and they thanked me for it,
\q1
\v 21 or if it is true that I threatened to strike any orphan
\q2 because I knew that the elders at the city gates would approve of me, then do to me whatever you must do to me.
\s5
\q1
\v 22 For if those things were true about me, I hope that my shoulder blade would be torn out
\q2 and my arm be torn from my shoulder.
\q1
\v 23 I always feared that God would cause me to experience a great disaster if I did any of those evil things,
\q2 and I would not have been able to endure the powerful things that he would do to punish me.
\s5
\q1
\v 24 If it is true that I trusted in my gold,
\q1
\v 25 or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things
\q2 and had become very rich,
\s5
\q1
\v 26 or that I looked at the sun when it was shining,
\q2 or that I looked at the beautiful moon,
\q1
\v 27 and I had been tempted to worship them
\q2 by kissing my hand to honor them,
\q1
\v 28 those things also would be sins for which the judges would say that I must be punished
\q2 because I would have been rejecting God by doing those things.
\s5
\q1
\v 29-30 It is not true that I sinned by requesting God to curse people who hated me
\q2 and to cause them to die because I was angry with them.
\q1 It is not true that I was glad when they were ruined
\q2 or that I rejoiced when they experienced disasters. No!
\s5
\q1
\v 31-32 No one can truthfully that I did not welcome travelers to stay in my house,
\q2 or that I did not open my doors to them, but that I forced them to sleep in the streets!
\q2 All the men who work for me certainly know that I have given food to anyone who needed it!
\s5
\q1
\v 33 Some people try to hide their sins,
\q2 but I have never done that;
\q1
\v 34 and I never remained silent and refused to go outside
\q2 because I was afraid of what people would say about me,
\q2 and that they would hate me.
\s5
\q1
\v 35 I wish that there was someone who would hear what I am saying!
\q2 I solemnly declare that all that I have said is true.
\q1 I wish that those who oppose me would write down on a scroll the evil things that they say that I did.
\q1
\v 36 If they did that, I would wear that scroll on my shoulder or on top of my head, in order that everyone could see it.
\q1
\v 37 I would tell God everything that I have done,
\q2 and I would approach him like a ruler would, without being afraid.
\s5
\q1
\v 38 If it is true that I have stolen land,
\q2 so that its furrows were like someone who shouted out to accuse me;
\q1
\v 39 or that I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else's fields
\q2 without paying for those crops,
\q2 so that the farmers who grew those crops died from hunger;
\q1
\v 40 then I wish that thorns would grow in my fields instead of wheat,
\q2 and that bad weeds would grow instead of barley!"
\q1 That is the end of what Job said to his three friends.
\s5
\c 32
\p
\v 1 Then those three men stopped replying to Job because they could not convince Job that he had done anything wrong.
\v 2 Then Elihu son of Barakel, a descendant of Buz, from the clan of Ram, became very angry at Job. He was angry because Job continued to claim that he was innocent, and that God had been wrong to punish him.
\s5
\v 3 He was also angry with Job's three friends because they had declared that Job must have done many things that were wrong, but they could not convince him.
\v 4 Now Elihu was younger than the others, so he waited until they had finished speaking before he replied to Job.
\v 5 But when Elihu realized that the three men had no more to say to Job, he became angry.
\s5
\p
\v 6 This is what he said:
\q1 "I am young, and you all are much older than I am.
\q2 So I was timid, and I was afraid to tell you what I was thinking.
\q1
\v 7 I said to myself, 'Let those who are much older speak
\q2 because older people should be able to say things that are wise.'
\s5
\q1
\v 8 However, the Spirit of Almighty God is within people, and it is he who enables them to be wise.
\q1
\v 9 Not all people become wise when they are old;
\q2 not all old people understand what is right.
\q1
\v 10 That is why I say to you now, 'Listen to me,
\q2 and allow me to declare what I know.'
\s5
\q1
\v 11 I waited for you all to speak;
\q2 I wanted to hear the wise things that you would say.
\q2 I waited while you thought carefully about what you should say.
\q1
\v 12 I paid attention carefully,
\q2 but surprisingly, none of you was able to prove that what Job said was wrong.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 So do not say to yourselves, 'We have discovered what is wise!'
\q2 It is God who must refute Job because you three have not been able to do that.
\q1
\v 14 Job was replying to you, not to me,
\q2 so I will not reply to him by saying what you three have said.
\s5
\q1
\v 15 I tell myself this: These three men are confused because they have nothing more to say to Job;
\q2 they have nothing more to say to him.
\q1
\v 16 But because you do not speak, I certainly will not wait any longer;
\q2 you merely stand there and do not reply anymore.
\q1
\s5
\v 17 So now I also will reply to Job
\q2 and tell him what I know.
\q1
\v 18 I have plenty to say,
\q2 and my spirit forces me to say it.
\q1
\v 19 My inner being is like a container of wine that is stretching more and more from the fermentation,
\q2 and it will soon burst.
\s5
\q1
\v 20 I must speak in order that I can rest from trying to hold in my words;
\q2 I must say something to reply to you all.
\q1
\v 21 I will speak fairly, not favoring any of you,
\q2 and I will not try to flatter anyone.
\q1
\v 22 I really do not know how to flatter people;
\q2 if I did that, God would soon destroy me."
\s5
\c 33
\q1
\v 1 "Now, Job, listen carefully
\q2 to all that I am going to say.
\q1
\v 2 I am ready to tell you what I think.
\q1
\v 3 In my inner being I know that I am speaking honestly
\q2 and that I am speaking sincerely.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 Almighty God has created me as well as you,
\q2 and with his breath he has caused me to live.
\q1
\v 5 So answer what I say if you can;
\q2 think carefully what you will reply to me.
\s5
\q1
\v 6 God considers that you and I are both the same;
\q2 he formed both of us from clay.
\q1
\v 7 So you do not need to be afraid of me;
\q2 I will not speak against you harshly.
\s5
\q1
\v 8 I have heard you speak,
\q2 and this is what you have said:
\q1
\v 9 'I am innocent, and I have not committed any sins;
\q2 I am pure, and I have not done things that are wrong.
\s5
\q1
\v 10 But God finds reasons to accuse me,
\q2 and he considers that I am his enemy.
\q1
\v 11 It is as though he had put my feet in stocks,
\q2 and he watches everything that I do.'
\q1
\v 12 However, what you have said is wrong,
\q2 and I will tell you what you have said that is wrong.
\q2 God is much greater than any human.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 So, why are you arguing against God? He does not have to tell us why he does anything.
\q1
\v 14 God does, indeed, speak to us in various ways,
\q2 but we do not pay any attention to what he says.
\q1
\v 15 Sometimes he speaks to us at night in dreams and visions
\q2 when we are on our beds, heavily asleep.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 He reveals things to us in those times;
\q2 he terrifies us by warning us about things.
\q1
\v 17 He tells us those things in order that we may stop doing evil deeds
\q2 and to prevent us from becoming proud.
\q1
\v 18 He does not want us to be destroyed;
\q2 he wants to prevent us from dying while we are still young.
\s5
\q1
\v 19 God also corrects us by forcing us to lie on our beds, suffering much pain
\q2 and fever in our bones.
\q1
\v 20 The result is that we do not desire any food,
\q2 not even very special food.
\s5
\q1
\v 21 Our bodies become very thin so that we look like a skeleton,
\q2 and our bones stick out so others can count them.
\q1
\v 22 We know that we will soon die
\q2 and go to the place where dead people are.
\s5
\q1
\v 23 Yet sometimes an angel may come to one of us,
\q2 one of the thousands of angels who come to intervene between us and God,
\q2 to tell us what are the right things for us to do.
\q1
\v 24 The angel is kind to us and says to God,
\q2 'Please release that person,
\q1 so that he does not descend to the place where dead people are!
\q2 Do that because I have found a way for you to keep him from dying!
\s5
\q1
\v 25 Please let his body be strong again;
\q2 please allow him to be strong like he was when he was young!'
\q1
\v 26 If that happens, that person will pray to God, and God will accept him;
\q2 he will enter God's presence joyfully,
\q2 and then he will tell others how God saved him from dying.
\s5
\q1
\v 27 He will sing as he says to everyone,
\q1 'I sinned, and I did things that were not right,
\q2 but God did not punish me in the way that I deserved.
\q1
\v 28 He has saved me from dying and going to the place where dead people are,
\q2 and I will continue to enjoy being alive.'
\s5
\q1
\v 29 God does all these things for us many times;
\q1
\v 30 he preserves us from dying and going to the place where the dead are,
\q2 in order that we can continue to enjoy being alive.
\s5
\q1
\v 31 So Job, listen to me;
\q2 do not say anything more; just allow me to speak.
\q1
\v 32 After I speak, if you have something more that you want to say to me,
\q2 say it, because I would like to find a way to declare that you are innocent.
\q1
\v 33 However, if you have nothing more that you want to say, then just listen to me,
\q2 and I will teach you how to become wise."
\s5
\c 34
\p
\v 1 Then Elihu continued by saying this:
\q1
\v 2 "You men who think that you are very wise, listen to me;
\q2 listen to what I am saying, you men who say that you know so much.
\q1
\v 3 When we hear people talk,
\q2 we think carefully about what they say to know what is good and what is bad,
\q2 as we taste food to know what is good to eat.
\s5
\q1
\v 4 We must decide who is saying what is right,
\q2 and we must find out together for ourselves what is good.
\q1
\v 5 Job has said, 'I am innocent,
\q2 but God has refused to judge me fairly.
\q1
\v 6 Even though I have always done what is right,
\q2 he is lying about me.
\q1 Even though I have not done what is wrong,
\q2 he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die because of this.'
\s5
\q1
\v 7 Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?
\q1
\v 8 He habitually associates with people who do what is evil
\q2 and spends time with wicked people.
\q1
\v 9 He certainly does these things, because he has said, 'It is useless for people to try to please God.'
\s5
\q1
\v 10 So, you men who claim that you understand everything, listen to me!
\q1 Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong!
\q1
\v 11 He pays back people for what they have done;
\q2 he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
\q1
\v 12 Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked;
\q2 he never calls wrongdoing right.
\s5
\q1
\v 13 No one gave him the authority to rule everything on the earth;
\q2 no one put him in control of the whole world.
\q2 He has always had that authority.
\q1
\v 14 If he ever thought only about himself and not about us also, and if he ever stopped making us live,
\q1
\v 15 everyone would die immediately,
\q2 and their corpses would soon become soil again.
\s5
\q1
\v 16 So, Job, if you say that you understand everything,
\q2 listen to what I am saying.
\q1
\v 17 God could certainly never hate was is right and still rule the world.
\q2 So you really cannot criticize God, who is righteous and powerful, and you cannot say that what he has done is wrong, can you?
\s5
\q1
\v 18 He tells some kings that they are worthless,
\q2 and he says to some officials that they are wicked.
\q1
\v 19 He does not favor rulers more than he favors others;
\q2 he does not favor rich people more than poor people
\q2 because he created all of them.
\q1
\v 20 They often die suddenly;
\q2 he strikes them at midnight and they die;
\q2 he gets rid of important people without the help of any humans.
\s5
\q1
\v 21 He sees everything that people do;
\q2 when we walk, he watches every step that we take.
\q1
\v 22 There is no gloom or darkness
\q2 in which wicked people can hide from God.
\q1
\v 23 God does not need to set a time
\q2 when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us.
\q2 He already knows everything about us.
\s5
\q1
\v 24 He destroys important people without needing to investigate what they have done,
\q2 and he appoints others to take their places.
\q1
\v 25 Because he already knows what they have done,
\q2 he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
\s5
\q1
\v 26 He strikes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
\q2 many people see him do it.
\q1
\v 27 He strikes them down because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do
\q2 and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
\q1
\v 28 They mistreated poor people;
\q2 those poor people cried out to God for help,
\q2 and he heard them.
\s5
\q1
\v 29 Yet even if God decides to do nothing to punish wicked people,
\q2 no one can criticize him.
\q1 God controls all nations and all people.
\q1
\v 30 He does this so that those who rule over us may honor him,
\q2 so that our rulers do not oppress us.
\s5
\q1
\v 31 Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, 'I have certainly committed sin,
\q2 but I will not sin anymore;
\q1
\v 32 so teach me what sins I have committed;
\q1 if I have done anything that is evil,
\q2 I will not do it anymore'?
\q1
\v 33 Job, you object to what God has done to you,
\q2 but do you think that he will do what you want him to do?
\q1 It is you who must choose what you should say to God, not I;
\q2 tell me what you are thinking about this.
\s5
\q1
\v 34 People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say,
\q2 will say to me,
\q1
\v 35 'Job is speaking ignorantly;
\q2 what he says is nonsense.'
\s5
\q1
\v 36 To you friends of Job, I say this: I think that a court should thoroughly try Job,
\q2 because he answers us, his friends, as wicked men would answer.
\q1
\v 37 To add to the other sins that he has committed, he is rebelling against God;
\q2 he shows us that he does not honor God;
\q2 he makes long speeches saying that God has punished him unjustly."
\s5
\c 35
\p
\v 1 Then Elihu also said this:
\q1
\v 2 "Job, do you really think that you have done nothing wrong?
\q1 You say, 'God knows that I am innocent,'
\q1
\v 3 and you also say, 'What good have I received for not sinning?
\q2 What benefit have I received that I would not have had, even if I had sinned?'
\q2 but now it is as though I have seen you with my own eyes.
\q1
\v 6 Therefore I am ashamed of what I said,
\q2 and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry for what I said."
\s5
\p
\v 7 After Yahweh said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz, "I am angry with you and your two friends, Bildad and Zophar, because you did not say true things about me, as my servant Job did.
\v 8 So now you must take to Job seven young bulls and seven rams and kill them and burn them on the altar as a sacrifice for yourselves. Then Job will pray for you, and I will do what he requests me to do. I will forgive you for speaking wrongly about me. I will not punish you, even though you deserve to be punished, because what you said about me was not right."
\p
\v 9 So Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did what Yahweh commanded them to do, and Yahweh did what Job requested him to do for the three of them.
\s5
\p
\v 10 After Job prayed for his three friends, Yahweh healed him and caused him to become rich again. Yahweh gave him twice as many things as he had before.
\v 11 Then all his brothers and sisters, and all the people who had known him before, came to his house, and they had a feast together. They consoled him because of all the troubles that Yahweh had allowed to happen to him. Each of them gave Job a piece of silver and a gold ring.
\s5
\p
\v 12 Then Yahweh blessed Job in the second half of his life more than he had blessed him in the first half of his life. He now acquired fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.
\v 13 And he also had seven more sons and three more daughters.
\v 14 He named the first daughter Jemimah, he named the second daughter Keziah, and he named the third daughter Keren Happuch.
\s5
\v 15 In all of the land of Uz, there were no young women who were as beautiful as the daughters of Job, and Job declared that they would inherit some of his possessions, just as their brothers would inherit some.
\p
\v 16 After that, Job lived 140 more years. Before he died, he saw his great-great-grandchildren.
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