Job 34-36

English Standard Version

² “Hear my words, you wise men,
    and give ear to me, you who know;
³ for ^(A)the ear tests words
    as the palate tastes food.
⁴ Let us choose ^(B)what is right;
    let us know among ourselves what is good.
⁵ For Job has said, ‘I am ^(C)in the right,
    and ^(D)God has taken away my right;
⁶ in spite of my right I am counted a liar;
    my wound is incurable, though I am ^(E)without transgression.’
⁷ What man is like Job,
    who ^(F)drinks up scoffing like water,
⁸ who travels in company with evildoers
    and walks ^(G)with wicked men?
⁹ For ^(H)he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
    that he should take delight in God.’

¹⁰ “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:
    far be it from God that he should ^(I)do wickedness,
    and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
¹¹ For according to ^(J)the work of a man he will repay him,
    and ^(K)according to his ways he will make it befall him.
¹² Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
    and ^(L)the Almighty will not pervert justice.
¹³ Who gave him charge over the earth,
    and who ^(M)laid on him^[a] the whole world?
¹⁴ If he should ^(N)set his heart to it
    and ^(O)gather to himself his ^(P)spirit and his breath,
¹⁵ all flesh would perish together,
    and man would ^(Q)return to dust.

¹⁶ “If you have understanding, hear this;
    listen to what I say.
^17 (R)Shall one who hates justice govern?
    Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
¹⁸ who ^(S)says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
    and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
¹⁹ who ^(T)shows no partiality to princes,
    nor regards the rich ^(U)more than the poor,
    for ^(V)they are all the work of his hands?
²⁰ In a moment ^(W)they die;
    at ^(X)midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
    and the mighty are taken away by ^(Y)no human hand.

²¹ “For his eyes are on ^(Z)the ways of a man,
    and he sees all his ^(AA)steps.
²² There is no ^(AB)gloom or ^(AC)deep darkness
    where evildoers may hide themselves.
²³ For God^[b] has no need to consider a man further,
    that he should go before God in ^(AD)judgment.
²⁴ He ^(AE)shatters the mighty without investigation
    and sets ^(AF)others in their place.
²⁵ Thus, knowing their works,
    he ^(AG)overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
²⁶ He strikes them for their wickedness
    in a place for all to see,
²⁷ because they turned aside from ^(AH)following him
    and had no regard for any of his ways,
²⁸ so that they ^(AI)caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
    and he ^(AJ)heard the cry of the afflicted—
²⁹ When he is quiet, who can condemn?
    When he hides his face, who can behold him,
    whether it be a nation or a man?—
³⁰ that a godless man should not reign,
    that he should not ensnare the people.

³¹ “For has anyone said to God,
    ‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;
^32 (AK)teach me what I do not see;
    if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
³³ Will he then make repayment to suit you,
    because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
    therefore ^(AL)declare what you know.^[c]
34 Men of understanding will say to me,
    and the wise man who hears me will say:
³⁵ ‘Job ^(AM)speaks without knowledge;
    his words are without insight.’
³⁶ Would that Job were tried to the end,
    because he answers like wicked men.
³⁷ For he adds rebellion to his sin;
    he ^(AN)claps his hands among us
    and multiplies his words against God.”

² “Do you think this to be just?
    Do you say, ^(AO)‘It is my right before God,’
³ that you ask, ^(AP)‘What advantage have I?
    How am I better off than if I had sinned?’
⁴ I will answer you
    and ^(AQ)your friends with you.
^5 (AR)Look at the heavens, and see;
    and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.
⁶ If you have sinned, ^(AS)what do you accomplish against him?
    And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
^7 (AT)If you are righteous, what do you give to him?
    Or what does he receive from your hand?
⁸ Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself,
    and your righteousness ^(AU)a son of man.

⁹ “Because of the multitude of ^(AV)oppressions people ^(AW)cry out;
    they call for help because of the arm of ^(AX)the mighty.^[d]
10 But none says, ‘Where is God my ^(AY)Maker,
    who gives ^(AZ)songs in the night,
¹¹ who teaches us ^(BA)more than the beasts of the earth
    and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’
¹² There they ^(BB)cry out, but he does not answer,
    because of the pride of evil men.
¹³ Surely God does not hear an empty cry,
    nor does the Almighty regard it.
¹⁴ How much less when you say that you ^(BC)do not see him,
    that the case is before him, and you are ^(BD)waiting for him!
¹⁵ And now, because ^(BE)his anger does not punish,
    and he does not take much note of transgression,^[e]
16 Job opens his mouth in empty talk;
    he ^(BF)multiplies words ^(BG)without knowledge.”

² “Bear with me a little, and I will show you,
    for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.
³ I will get my knowledge from ^(BH)afar
    and ascribe ^(BI)righteousness to my ^(BJ)Maker.
⁴ For truly my words are not false;
    one who is ^(BK)perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵ “Behold, God is mighty, and ^(BL)does not despise any;
    he is ^(BM)mighty in strength of understanding.
⁶ He does not keep the wicked alive,
    but gives ^(BN)the afflicted their right.
⁷ He does not withdraw his ^(BO)eyes from the righteous,
    but with ^(BP)kings on the throne
    he sets them forever, and they are ^(BQ)exalted.
⁸ And if they are ^(BR)bound in chains
    and caught in the cords of affliction,
⁹ then he declares to them their work
    and their transgressions, that they are ^(BS)behaving arrogantly.
¹⁰ He ^(BT)opens their ears to instruction
    and commands that they ^(BU)return from iniquity.
^11 (BV)If they listen and serve him,
    they ^(BW)complete their days in prosperity,
    and their years in pleasantness.
¹² But if they do not listen, they ^(BX)perish by the sword
    and die ^(BY)without knowledge.

¹³ “The ^(BZ)godless in heart cherish anger;
    they do not cry for help when he ^(CA)binds them.
¹⁴ They ^(CB)die in youth,
    and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.
¹⁵ He delivers ^(CC)the afflicted by their affliction
    and ^(CD)opens their ear by adversity.
¹⁶ He also allured you out of distress
    into ^(CE)a broad place where there was no cramping,
    and what was set on your ^(CF)table was full of ^(CG)fatness.

¹⁷ “But you are full of the judgment on the wicked;
    judgment and justice seize you.
¹⁸ Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,
    and let not the greatness of ^(CH)the ransom turn you aside.
¹⁹ Will your ^(CI)cry for help avail to keep you from distress,
    or all the force of your strength?
²⁰ Do not long for ^(CJ)the night,
    when peoples vanish ^(CK)in their place.
²¹ Take care; ^(CL)do not turn to iniquity,
    for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
²² Behold, God is exalted in his power;
    who is ^(CM)a teacher like him?
²³ Who has ^(CN)prescribed for him his way,
    or who can say, ^(CO)‘You have done wrong’?

²⁴ “Remember to ^(CP)extol his work,
    of which men have ^(CQ)sung.
²⁵ All mankind has looked on it;
    man beholds it from afar.
²⁶ Behold, God is great, and we ^(CR)know him not;
    the number of his ^(CS)years is unsearchable.
²⁷ For he draws up the drops of water;
    they distill his ^(CT)mist in ^(CU)rain,
²⁸ which ^(CV)the skies pour down
    and drop on mankind abundantly.
²⁹ Can anyone understand ^(CW)the spreading of the clouds,
    the thunderings of his ^(CX)pavilion?
³⁰ Behold, he scatters his lightning about him
    and covers the roots of the sea.
³¹ For by these he ^(CY)judges peoples;
    he gives ^(CZ)food in abundance.
³² He covers his ^(DA)hands with the lightning
    and commands it to strike the mark.
³³ Its crashing declares his presence;^[f]
    the cattle also declare that he rises.