Job chapter 34
English Standard Version
2"Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you who know; 3for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. 4Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good. 5For Job has said, ‘I am in the right, and God has taken away my right; 6in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’ 7What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water, 8who travels in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men? 9For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.’ 10"Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. 11For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him. 12Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice. 13Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him the whole world? 14If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, 15all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. 16"If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say. 17 Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty, 18who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’ 19who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? 20In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand. 21"For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. 22There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves. 23For God has no need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in judgment. 24He shatters the mighty without investigation and sets others in their place. 25Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed. 26He strikes them for their wickedness in a place for all to see, 27because they turned aside from following him and had no regard for any of his ways, 28so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted — 29When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man? — 30that a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people. 31"For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more; 32 teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’? 33Will he then make repayment to suit you, because you reject it? For you must choose, and not I; therefore declare what you know. 34Men of understanding will say to me, and the wise man who hears me will say: 35‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without insight.’ 36Would that Job were tried to the end, because he answers like wicked men. 37For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God."
New International Version
2"Hear my words, you wise men; listen to me, you men of learning. 3For the ear tests words as the tongue tastes food.
4Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good. 5"Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God denies me justice. 6Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’ 7Is there anyone like Job, who drinks scorn like water? 8He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with the wicked.
9For he says, ‘There is no profit in trying to please God.’ 10"So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong. 11He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves. 12It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice. 13Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world? 14If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath,
15all humanity would perish together and mankind would return to the dust. 16"If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say. 17Can someone who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? 18Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ 19who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
20They die in an instant, in the middle of the night; the people are shaken and they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand. 21"His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step. 22There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide. 23God has no need to examine people further, that they should come before him for judgment. 24Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place. 25Because he takes note of their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. 26He punishes them for their wickedness where everyone can see them, 27because they turned from following him and had no regard for any of his ways. 28They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy. 29But if he remains silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he is over individual and nation alike,
30to keep the godless from ruling, from laying snares for the people. 31"Suppose someone says to God, ‘I am guilty but will offend no more. 32Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’
33Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know. 34"Men of understanding declare, wise men who hear me say to me, 35‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’ 36Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man! 37To his sin he adds rebellion; scornfully he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God."
New American Standard Bible
2'Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who understand. 3For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. 4Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us understand among ourselves what is good. 5For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my right; 6 Should I lie about my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without wrongdoing.’ 7What man is like Job, Who drinks up derision like water, 8Who goes in company with the workers of injustice, And walks with wicked people? 9For he has said, ‘It is of no use to a man When he becomes friends with God.’ 10'Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, And from the Almighty to do wrong. 11For He repays a person for his work, And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s behavior. 12God certainly will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice. 13Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has placed the whole world on Him? 14If He were to determine to do so, If He were to gather His spirit and His breath to Himself, 15 Humanity would perish together, And mankind would return to dust. 16'But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words. 17Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One, 18Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘You wicked one’; 19Who shows no partiality to the prominent, Nor regards the rich as above the poor, Since they are all the work of His hands? 20In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the powerful are taken away without a hand. 21'For His eyes are upon the ways of a person, And He sees all his steps. 22There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of injustice can hide themselves. 23For He does not need to consider a person further, That he should go before God in judgment. 24He breaks in pieces the mighty without investigation, And sets others in their place. 25Therefore He knows their deeds, And He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed. 26He strikes them like the wicked In a public place, 27Because they turned aside from following Him, And had no regard for any of His ways, 28So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He would hear the cry of the afflicted— 29When He keeps quiet, who can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can look at Him, That is, regarding both nation and a person?— 30So that godless people would not rule, Nor be snares for the people. 31'For has anyone said to God, ‘I have endured punishment; I will not offend anymore; 32Teach me what I do not see; If I have done wrong, I will not do it again’? 33Shall God repay on your terms, because you have rejected His? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know. 34Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me, 35‘Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom. 36Oh that Job were tested to the limit, Because he answers like sinners. 37For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.’?'
Christian Standard Bible
2Hear my words, you wise ones, and listen to me, you knowledgeable ones. 3Doesn’t the ear test words as the palate tastes food? 4Let us judge for ourselves what is right; let us decide together what is good. 5For Job has declared, "I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice. 6Would I lie about my case? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression." 7What man is like Job? He drinks derision like water. 8He keeps company with evildoers and walks with wicked men.
9For he has said, "A man gains nothing when he becomes God’s friend." 10Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding. It is impossible for God to do wrong, and for the Almighty to act unjustly. 11For he repays a person according to his deeds, and he gives him what his conduct deserves. 12Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly and the Almighty does not pervert justice. 13Who gave him authority over the earth? Who put him in charge of the entire world? 14If he put his mind to it and withdrew the spirit and breath he gave,
15every living thing would perish together and mankind would return to the dust. 16If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I have to say. 17Could one who hates justice govern the world? Will you condemn the mighty Righteous One, 18who says to a king, "Worthless man!" and to nobles, "Wicked men!"? 19God is not partial to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.
20They die suddenly in the middle of the night; people shudder, then pass away. Even the mighty are removed without effort. 21For his eyes watch over a man’s ways, and he observes all his steps. 22There is no darkness, no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide. 23God does not need to examine a person further, that one should approach him in court. 24He shatters the mighty without an investigation and sets others in their place. 25Therefore, he recognizes their deeds and overthrows them by night, and they are crushed. 26In full view of the public, he strikes them for their wickedness, 27because they turned aside from following him and did not understand any of his ways 28but caused the poor to cry out to him, and he heard the outcry of the needy. 29But when God is silent, who can declare him guilty? When he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he watches over both individuals and nations,
30so that godless men should not rule or ensnare the people. 31Suppose someone says to God, "I have endured my punishment; I will no longer act wickedly. 32Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I won’t do it again." 33Should God repay you on your terms when you have rejected his? You must choose, not I! So declare what you know. 34Reasonable men will say to me, along with the wise men who hear me, 35"Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without insight." 36If only Job were tested to the limit, because his answers are like those of wicked men. 37For he adds rebellion to his sin; he scornfully claps in our presence, while multiplying his words against God.
New Living Translation
2'Listen to me, you wise men. Pay attention, you who have knowledge. 3Job said, ‘The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.’ 4So let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good. 5For Job also said, ‘I am innocent, but God has taken away my rights. 6I am innocent, but they call me a liar. My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned.’
7'Tell me, has there ever been a man like Job, with his thirst for irreverent talk? 8He chooses evil people as companions. He spends his time with wicked men. 9He has even said, ‘Why waste time trying to please God?’
10'Listen to me, you who have understanding. Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin! The Almighty can do no wrong. 11He repays people according to their deeds. He treats people as they deserve. 12Truly, God will not do wrong. The Almighty will not twist justice. 13Did someone else put the world in his care? Who set the whole world in place? 14If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath, 15all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust.
16'Now listen to me if you are wise. Pay attention to what I say. 17Could God govern if he hated justice? Are you going to condemn the almighty judge? 18For he says to kings, ‘You are wicked,’ and to nobles, ‘You are unjust.’ 19He doesn’t care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all. 20In a moment they die. In the middle of the night they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.
21'For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do. 22No darkness is thick enough to hide the wicked from his eyes. 23We don’t set the time when we will come before God in judgment. 24He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone, and he sets up others in their place. 25He knows what they do, and in the night he overturns and destroys them. 26He strikes them down because they are wicked, doing it openly for all to see. 27For they turned away from following him. They have no respect for any of his ways. 28They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention. He hears the cries of the needy. 29But if he chooses to remain quiet, who can criticize him? When he hides his face, no one can find him, whether an individual or a nation. 30He prevents the godless from ruling so they cannot be a snare to the people.
31'Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned, but I will sin no more’? 32Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done — tell me. If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?
33'Must God tailor his justice to your demands? But you have rejected him! The choice is yours, not mine. Go ahead, share your wisdom with us. 34After all, bright people will tell me, and wise people will hear me say, 35‘Job speaks out of ignorance; his words lack insight.’ 36Job, you deserve the maximum penalty for the wicked way you have talked. 37For you have added rebellion to your sin; you show no respect, and you speak many angry words against God.'
King James Version
1Furthermore Elihu answered and said, 2Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
9For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God. 10Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
15All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. 16If now thou hast understanding, hear this: hearken to the voice of my words.
New King James Version
2“Hear my words, you wise men; Give ear to me, you who have knowledge. 3 For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. 4Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know 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 right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’ 7What man is like Job, Who drinks scorn like water, 8Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men? 9For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing That he should delight in God.’ 10“Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity. 11 For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way. 12Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice. 13Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? 14If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust. 16“If you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words: 17 Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just? 18 Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘ You are worthless,’ And to nobles, ‘ You are wicked’? 19Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands. 20In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand. 21“For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. 22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23For He need not further consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment. 24 He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place. 25Therefore He knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed. 26He strikes them as wicked men In the open sight of others, 27Because they turned back from Him, And would not consider any of His ways, 28So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted. 29When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?— 30That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared. 31“For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; 32Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’? 33Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know. 34“Men of understanding say to me, Wise men who listen to me: 35‘Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom.’ 36Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost, Because his answers are like those of wicked men! 37For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.”
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica®.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission.
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries 
For answers to your Bible questions, please visit
For answers to your Bible questions, please visit
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION®, NIV® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica®.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960 - 2020 by The Lockman Foundation.
Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission.