| New American Standard Bible 1995 | International Standard Version |
| 1Then Elihu continued and said, | 1Elihu continued speaking, and said: |
| 2"Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who know. | 2"Listen to what I have to say, you wise men! Pay attention to me, you educated people! |
| 3"For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. | 3Since the ear tests words like a palate tastes food, |
| 4"Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good. | 4let's choose what's right for us. Let's consider among ourselves what is good." |
| 5"For Job has said, 'I am righteous, But God has taken away my right; | 5Now this is Job's claim: 'Even though I'm innocent, God has stopped treating me righteously. |
| 6Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.' | 6Have I lied concerning the justice that I deserve? My wound is incurable, though transgression cannot be attributed to me.' |
| 7"What man is like Job, Who drinks up derision like water, | 7"What man is like Job, who drinks mockery like water, |
| 8Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men? | 8traffics in those who practice evil, and walks with wicked people? |
| 9"For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing When he is pleased with God.' | 9Because he says, 'There's no profit for a man to find joy with God.'" |
| 10"Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong. | 10"Therefore you men of understanding, listen to me! Far be it for God to practice wickedness, or the Almighty to do what is wrong, |
| 11"For He pays a man according to his work, And makes him find it according to his way. | 11because he repays a person for his behavior; and according to a person's conduct, he lets it happen to him. |
| 12"Surely, God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice. | 12Truly, God doesn't practice wickedness, and the Almighty doesn't pervert justice. |
| 13"Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world? | 13Who entrusted the earth to him? Who made him responsible for the entire inhabited world? |
| 14"If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, | 14If he were to decide to do so, that is, to take back to himself his spirit and breath of life, |
| 15All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust. | 15every living thing would die all at once, and mankind would return to dust." |
| 16"But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words. | 16If you have understanding, listen to this! Pay attention to what I have to say: |
| 17"Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One, | 17Can one who hates justice really govern? And if God is righteous and mighty, can you condemn him? |
| 18Who says to a king, 'Worthless one,' To nobles, 'Wicked ones'; | 18Can one say to a king, 'You're vile!' or to nobles, 'You're wicked!'? |
| 19Who shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands? | 19Who isn't partial to princes? Who doesn't give preference to the nobles over the poor? Nevertheless, all of them are his handiwork. |
| 20"In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without a hand. | 20"They die suddenly, in the middle of the night; people suffer seizures and pass away; even valiant men can be taken away— and not by human hands. |
| 21"For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps. | 21Yes, Job, his eyes constantly watch the behavior of human beings; he carefully observes their every step. |
| 22"There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. | 22There's no such thing as darkness to him— not even deep darkness— that can conceal those who practice evil. |
| 23"For He does not need to consider a man further, That he should go before God in judgment. | 23He won't examine mankind further, that they would go before God to judgment. |
| 24"He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place. | 24He shatters valiant men without a need to investigate, and he raises others in their place. |
| 25"Therefore He knows their works, And He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed. | 25Thus he acknowledges their behavior, and overcomes them; when night time comes, they are crushed. |
| 26"He strikes them like the wicked In a public place, | 26"He strikes the wicked among them in a place where they can be seen |
| 27Because they turned aside from following Him, And had no regard for any of His ways; | 27because they've abandoned their pursuit of him and had no respect for any of his ways. |
| 28So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He might hear the cry of the afflicted-- | 28As a result, the cries of the poor have reached him and he has heard the cry of the afflicted. |
| 29When 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?-- | 29"If he remains silent, who will condemn him? If he conceals his face, who can see him? He watches over both nation and individual alike, |
| 30So that godless men would not rule Nor be snares of the people. | 30to keep the godless man from reigning or laying a snare for the people." |
| 31"For has anyone said to God, 'I have borne chastisement; I will not offend anymore; | 31"Has anyone ever really told God, 'I've endured, and I won't act corruptly anymore. |
| 32Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will not do it again '? | 32What I don't see, instruct me! If I've done anything evil, I won't repeat it!' |
| 33"Shall He recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know. | 33"Should you not be paid back, since you have rejected him? You do the choosing! I won't! Tell us what you know! |
| 34"Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me, | 34"Men of understanding, speak to me! Are any of you men wise? Then listen to me! |
| 35'Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom. | 35Job has been speaking from his own ignorance, and what he has to say lacks insight! |
| 36'Job ought to be tried to the limit, Because he answers like wicked men. | 36Oh, how Job needs to be given a full court trial, as a rebuke to those who practice evil, |
| 37'For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.'" | 37because he has been adding rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us, and keeps on ranting against God." |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
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