| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1Elihu also proceeded and said: | 1Elihu continued: |
| 2“Bear with me a little, and I will show you That there are yet words to speak on God’s behalf. | 2"Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God's behalf. |
| 3I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. | 3I get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker. |
| 4For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you. | 4Be assured that my words are not false; one who has perfect knowledge is with you. |
| 5“Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding. | 5"God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose. |
| 6He does not preserve the life of the wicked, But gives justice to the oppressed. | 6He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights. |
| 7He 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. | 7He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. |
| 8And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction, | 8But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, |
| 9Then He tells them their work and their transgressions— That they have acted defiantly. | 9he tells them what they have done-- that they have sinned arrogantly. |
| 10He also opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they turn from iniquity. | 10He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. |
| 11If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. | 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 obey, They shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. | 12But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge. |
| 13“But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them. | 13"The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help. |
| 14They die in youth, And their life ends among the perverted persons. | 14They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines. |
| 15He delivers the poor in their affliction, And opens their ears in oppression. | 15But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. |
| 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. | 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 you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you. | 17But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken 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. | 18Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. |
| 19Will your riches, Or all the mighty forces, Keep you from distress? | 19Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress? |
| 20Do not desire the night, When people are cut off in their place. | 20Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes. |
| 21Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction. | 21Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction. |
| 22“Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him? | 22"God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? |
| 23Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, ‘You have done wrong’? | 23Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, 'You have done wrong'? |
| 24“Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung. | 24Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song. |
| 25Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar. | 25All humanity has seen it; mortals gaze on it from afar. |
| 26“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered. | 26How great is God--beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. |
| 27For He draws up drops of water, Which distill as rain from the mist, | 27"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; |
| 28Which the clouds drop down And pour abundantly on man. | 28the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. |
| 29Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, The thunder from His canopy? | 29Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? |
| 30Look, He scatters His light upon it, And covers the depths of the sea. | 30See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. |
| 31For by these He judges the peoples; He gives food in abundance. | 31This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. |
| 32He covers His hands with lightning, And commands it to strike. | 32He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. |
| 33His thunder declares it, The cattle also, concerning the rising storm. | 33His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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