Job 32:1-10

English Standard Version

Elihu Rebukes Job's Three Friends

32 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was ^(A)righteous in his own eyes. ²Then Elihu the son of Barachel ^(B)the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself ^(C)rather than God. ³He burned with anger also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had ^(D)declared Job to be in the wrong. ⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. ⁵And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger.

⁶And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said:

“I am young in years,
    and you are ^(E)aged;
therefore I was timid and afraid
    to declare my opinion to you.
⁷I said, ‘Let days speak,
    and many years teach wisdom.’
⁸But it is ^(F)the spirit in man,
    ^(G)the breath of the Almighty, that makes him ^(H)understand.
⁹^(I)It is not the old^[a] who are wise,
    nor the aged who understand what is right.
¹⁰Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;
    let me also declare my opinion.’

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Footnotes

Job 32:9 Hebrew many [in years]

Job 32:19-33:1

English Standard Version

¹⁹Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent;
    like new ^(A)wineskins ready to burst.
²⁰^(B)I must speak, that I may find ^(C)relief;
    I must open my lips and answer.
²¹I will not ^(D)show partiality to any man
    or use flattery toward any person.
²²For I do not know how to flatter,
    else my Maker would soon take me away.

Elihu Rebukes Job

33 “But now, hear my speech, O Job,
and listen to all my words.

Job 33:19-28

English Standard Version

¹⁹“Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed
    and with continual strife in his ^(A)bones,
²⁰so that his ^(B)life loathes bread,
    and his appetite ^(C)the choicest food.
²¹His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
    and his bones that were not seen ^(D)stick out.
²²His soul draws near ^(E)the pit,
    and his life to ^(F)those who bring death.
²³If there be for him ^(G)an angel,
    ^(H)a mediator, ^(I)one of the thousand,
    to declare to man what is ^(J)right for him,
²⁴and he is merciful to him, and says,
    ‘Deliver him from going down into the pit;
    I have found ^(K)a ransom;
²⁵let his flesh ^(L)become fresh with youth;
    let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;
²⁶then man^[a] ^(M)prays to God, and he accepts him;
    he ^(N)sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he ^(O)restores to man his righteousness.
²⁷    He sings before men and says:
‘I ^(P)sinned and perverted what was right,
    and it was not repaid to me.
²⁸He has redeemed my ^(Q)soul from going down ^(R)into the pit,
    and my life shall ^(S)look upon the light.’