Job 36:1-30
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 36
1Then Elihu continued and said,
2'Wait for me a little, and I will show you That there is still more to be said on God’s behalf.
3I will bring my knowledge from afar, And ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5Behold, God is mighty but does not reject anyone; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
6He does not keep the wicked alive, But gives justice to the afflicted.
7He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous, But with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
8And if they are bound in shackles, And are caught in the snares of misery,
9Then He declares to them their work And their wrongdoings, that they have been arrogant.
10He opens their ears to instruction, And commands that they return from injustice.
11If they listen and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity, And their years in happiness.
12But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword, And die without knowledge.
13But the godless in heart nurture anger; They do not call for help when He binds them.
14 They die in youth, And their life perishes among the cult prostitutes.
15He rescues the afflicted in their misery, And opens their ears in time of oppression.
16Then indeed, He induced you away from the mouth of distress, And instead of it, a broad place with no constraint; And your table was full of rich food.
17'But you were full of judgment on the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 Beware that wrath does not entice you to mockery; And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
19Will your cry for help keep you from distress, Or all the exertions of your strength?
20Do not long for the night, When people vanish in their places.
21Be careful, do not turn to evil, For you preferred this to misery.
22Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a teacher like Him?
23Who has appointed Him His way, And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?
24'Remember that you are to exalt His work, Of which people have sung.
25All people have seen it; Mankind looks at it from afar.
26Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable.
27For He draws up the drops of water; They distill rain from its celestial stream,
28Which clouds pour down; They drip upon mankind abundantly.
29Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, The thundering of His pavilion?
30Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea.
King James Version
Chapter 36
1Elihu also proceeded, and said, 2Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf.Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 36
1Then Elihu continued, saying:
2Be patient with me a little longer, and I will inform you, for there is still more to be said on God’s behalf.
3I will get my knowledge from a distant place and ascribe justice to my Maker.
4Indeed, my words are not false; one who has complete knowledge is with you.
5Yes, God is mighty, but he despises no one; he understands all things.
6He does not keep the wicked alive, but he gives justice to the oppressed.
7He does not withdraw his gaze from the righteous, but he seats them forever with enthroned kings, and they are exalted.
8If people are bound with chains and trapped by the cords of affliction,
9God tells them what they have done and how arrogantly they have transgressed.
10He opens their ears to correction and tells them to repent from iniquity.
11If they listen and serve him, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness.
12But if they do not listen, they will cross the river of death and die without knowledge.
13Those who have a godless heart harbor anger; even when God binds them, they do not cry for help.
14They die in their youth; their life ends among male cult prostitutes.
15God rescues the afflicted by their affliction; he instructs them by their torment.
16Indeed, he lured you from the jaws of distress to a spacious and unconfined place. Your table was spread with choice food.
17Yet now you are obsessed with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you.
18Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large ransom lead you astray.
19Can your wealth or all your physical exertion keep you from distress?
20Do not long for the night when nations will disappear from their places.
21Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity, for that is why you have been tested by affliction.
22Look, God shows himself exalted by his power. Who is a teacher like him?
23Who has appointed his way for him, and who has declared, "You have done wrong"?
24Remember that you should praise his work, which people have sung about.
25All mankind has seen it; people have looked at it from a distance.
26Yes, God is exalted beyond our knowledge; the number of his years cannot be counted.
27For he makes waterdrops evaporate; they distill the rain into its mist,
28which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind.
29Can anyone understand how the clouds spread out or how the thunder roars from God’s pavilion?
30See how he spreads his lightning around him and covers the depths of the sea.
New Living Translation
Chapter 36
1Elihu continued speaking:
2'Let me go on, and I will show you the truth. For I have not finished defending God!
3I will present profound arguments for the righteousness of my Creator.
4I am telling you nothing but the truth, for I am a man of great knowledge.
5'God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.
6He does not let the wicked live but gives justice to the afflicted.
7He never takes his eyes off the innocent, but he sets them on thrones with kings and exalts them forever.
8If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble,
9he shows them the reason. He shows them their sins of pride.
10He gets their attention and commands that they turn from evil.
11'If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant.
12But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding.
13For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help.
14They die when they are young, after wasting their lives in immoral living.
15But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.
16'God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food.
17But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.
18But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin.
19Could all your wealth or all your mighty efforts keep you from distress?
20Do not long for the cover of night, for that is when people will be destroyed.
21Be on guard! Turn back from evil, for God sent this suffering to keep you from a life of evil.
22'Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him?
23No one can tell him what to do, or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’
24Instead, glorify his mighty works, singing songs of praise.
25Everyone has seen these things, though only from a distance.
26'Look, God is greater than we can understand. His years cannot be counted.
27He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into rain.
28The rain pours down from the clouds, and everyone benefits.
29Who can understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven?
30See how he spreads the lightning around him and how it lights up the depths of the sea.
English Standard Version
Chapter 36
1And Elihu continued, and said:
2"Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God 's behalf.
3I will get my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5"Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding.
6He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right.
7He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted.
8And if they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction,
9then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.
10He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity.
11 If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness.
12But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword and die without knowledge.
13"The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when he binds them.
14They die in youth, and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.
15He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.
16He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness.
17"But you are full of the judgment on the wicked; judgment and justice seize you.
18Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
19Will your cry for help avail to keep you from distress, or all the force of your strength?
20Do not long for the night, when peoples vanish in their place.
21Take care; do not turn to iniquity, for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
22Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him?
23Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’?
24"Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung.
25All mankind has looked on it; man beholds it from afar.
26Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.
27For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain,
28which the skies pour down and drop on mankind abundantly.
29Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion?
30Behold, he scatters his lightning about him and covers the roots of the sea.
New International Version
Chapter 36
1Elihu continued:
2"Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.
3I get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
4Be assured that my words are not false; one who has perfect knowledge is with you.
5"God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
6He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights.
7He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.
8But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction,
9he tells them what they have done— that they have sinned arrogantly.
10He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil.
11If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.
12But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge.
13"The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.
14They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines.
15But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.
16"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.
17But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
18Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.
19Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?
20Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes.
21Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction.
22"God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?
23Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?
24Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song.
25All humanity has seen it; mortals gaze on it from afar.
26How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.
27"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams ;
28the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.
29Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion?
30See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea.
New King James Version
Chapter 36
1Elihu also proceeded and said:
2“Bear with me a little, and I will show you That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf.
3I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
6He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed.
7 He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted.
8And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction,
9Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly.
10 He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity.
11If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.
12But if they do not obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge.
13“But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them.
14 They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons.
15He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression.
16“Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, Into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness.
17But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it.
19 Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress?
20Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place.
21Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction.
22“Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him?
23 Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?
24“Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung.
25Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar.
26“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered.
27For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist,
28 Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man.
29Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy?
30Look, He scatters His light upon it, And covers the depths of the sea.
