| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Elihu said further: | 1Elihu continued speaking: |
| 2"Be patient with me a little longer and I will instruct you, for I still have words to speak on God's behalf. | 2“Let me go on, and I will show you the truth. For I have not finished defending God! |
| 3With my knowledge I will speak comprehensively, and to my Creator I will ascribe righteousness. | 3I will present profound arguments for the righteousness of my Creator. |
| 4For in truth, my words are not false; it is one complete in knowledge who is with you. | 4I am telling you nothing but the truth, for I am a man of great knowledge. |
| 5Indeed, God is mighty; and he does not despise people, he is mighty, and firm in his intent. | 5“God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding. |
| 6He does not allow the wicked to live, but he gives justice to the poor. | 6He does not let the wicked live but gives justice to the afflicted. |
| 7He does not take his eyes off the righteous; but with kings on the throne he seats the righteous and exalts them forever. | 7He never takes his eyes off the innocent, but he sets them on thrones with kings and exalts them forever. |
| 8But if they are bound in chains, and held captive by the cords of affliction, | 8If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble, |
| 9then he reveals to them what they have done, and their transgressions, that they were behaving proudly. | 9he shows them the reason. He shows them their sins of pride. |
| 10And he reveals this for correction, and says that they must turn from evil. | 10He gets their attention and commands that they turn from evil. |
| 11If they obey and serve him, they live out their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness. | 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, they pass over the river of death, and expire without knowledge. | 12But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding. |
| 13The godless at heart nourish anger, they do not cry out even when he binds them. | 13For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help. |
| 14They die in their youth, and their life ends among the male cultic prostitutes. | 14They die when they are young, after wasting their lives in immoral living. |
| 15He delivers the afflicted by their afflictions, he reveals himself to them by their suffering. | 15But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity. |
| 16And surely, he drew you from the mouth of distress, to a wide place, unrestricted, and to the comfort of your table filled with rich food. | 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 now you are preoccupied with the judgment due the wicked, judgment and justice take hold of you. | 17But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld. |
| 18Be careful that no one entices you with riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. | 18But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin. |
| 19Would your wealth sustain you, so that you would not be in distress, even all your mighty efforts? | 19Could all your wealth or all your mighty efforts keep you from distress? |
| 20Do not long for the cover of night to drag people away from their homes. | 20Do not long for the cover of night, for that is when people will be destroyed. |
| 21Take heed, do not turn to evil, for because of this you have been tested by affliction. | 21Be on guard! Turn back from evil, for God sent this suffering to keep you from a life of evil. Elihu Reminds Job of God’s Power |
| 22Indeed, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? | 22“Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him? |
| 23Who has prescribed his ways for him? Or said to him, 'You have done what is wicked'? | 23No one can tell him what to do, or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’ |
| 24Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song. | 24Instead, glorify his mighty works, singing songs of praise. |
| 25All humanity has seen it; people gaze on it from afar. | 25Everyone has seen these things, though only from a distance. |
| 26"Yes, God is great--beyond our knowledge! The number of his years is unsearchable. | 26“Look, God is greater than we can understand. His years cannot be counted. |
| 27He draws up drops of water; they distill the rain into its mist, | 27He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into rain. |
| 28which the clouds pour down and shower on humankind abundantly. | 28The rain pours down from the clouds, and everyone benefits. |
| 29Who can understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion? | 29Who can understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven? |
| 30See how he scattered his lightning about him; he has covered the depths of the sea. | 30See how he spreads the lightning around him and how it lights up the depths of the sea. |
| 31It is by these that he judges the nations and supplies food in abundance. | 31By these mighty acts he nourishes the people, giving them food in abundance. |
| 32With his hands he covers the lightning, and directs it against its target. | 32He fills his hands with lightning bolts and hurls each at its target. |
| 33His thunder announces the coming storm, the cattle also, concerning the storm's approach. | 33The thunder announces his presence; the storm announces his indignant anger. |
|
