Elihu Confirms God’s Justice

1Elihu proceeding in his aunswere, sayde:

2Heare my wordes O ye wise men, hearken vnto me ye that haue vnderstanding:

3For the eare discerneth wordes, and the mouth tasteth the meates.

4As for iudgement, let vs seke it out among our selues, that we may knowe what is good.

5And why? Iob hath sayd, I am righteous, and God hath taken away my iudgement.

6In my right I shoulde be a lyer: my wounde is incurable without my fault.

7Where is there such a one as Iob, that drinketh vp scornefulnesse like water?

8Which goeth in the companie of wicked doers, and walketh with vngodly men?

9For he hath sayde, It profiteth a man nothing that he shoulde walke with God.

10Therfore hearken vnto me ye that haue vnderstanding: farre be it from God that he shoulde meddle with wickednesse, & farre be it from the almightie that he shoulde meddle with vnrighteous dealing.

11For he shall rewarde man after his workes, and cause euery man to finde according to his wayes.

12Sure it is that God wil not do wickedly, neither wyll the almightie paruert iudgement.

13Who ruleth the earth but he? or who hath placed the whole world?

14If he set his heart vpon man and gather vnto hym selfe his spirite and his breath,

15All fleshe shall come to naught at once, and all men shall turne againe vnto dust.

16If thou nowe haue vnderstanding, heare what I say, and hearken to the voyce of my wordes:

17May he be a ruler that loueth not right? or may he that is a very innocent man do vngodly?

18Is it reason that thou shouldest say to the king, Thou art wicked, or thou art vngodly, and that before the princes?

19God hath no respect vnto the persons of the lordly, and regardeth not the riche more then the poore: for they be al the worke of his handes.

20In the twinckling of an eye shall they dye, and at midnight when the people and the tirantes rage, then shall they perishe, & be taken away without handes.

21For his eyes loke vpon the wayes of man, and he seeth all his goinges.

22There is no darkenesse nor shadowe of death that can hide the wicked doers from him.

23For God wil not lay vpon man more then he hath sinned, that he should enter into iudgement with him.

24He shall destroy the mightie without seeking, and shall set other in their steede.

25Therefore shall he declare their workes: he shall turne the night, and they shalbe destroyed.

26The vngodly doth he punishe openly,

27Because they tourned backe from him, and would not consider all his wayes:

28Insomuch that they haue caused the voyce of the poore to come vnto him, and now he heareth the complaint of such as are in trouble.

29When he geueth quietnesse, who can make trouble? and when he hydeth his face, who can beholde him? whether it be vpon nations, or vpo one man onely:

30Because the hypocrite doth raigne, because the people are snared.

31Surely of God onely it can be saide, I haue pardoned, I wyll not destroy.

32If I haue gone amisse, enfourme thou me: If I haue done wrong, I wyll leaue of.

33Wyll he perfourme the thing through thee? for thou hast reproued his iudgement, thou also hast thyne owne minde, and not I: But speake on what thou knowest.

34Let men of vnderstanding tell me, and let a wyse man hearken vnto me.

35Iob hath not spoken of knowledge, neither were his wordes according to wysdome.

36O father, let Iob be well tryed, because he hath aunswered for wicked men:

37Yea aboue his sinne he doth wickedly, triumpheth among vs, and multiplieth his wordes against God.