Job 33
New King James Version
Elihu Contradicts Job
33 “But please, Job, hear my speech,
And listen to all my words.
2 Now, I open my mouth;
My tongue speaks in my mouth.
3 My words come from my upright heart;
My lips utter pure knowledge.
4 (A)The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 If you can answer me,
Set your words in order before me;
Take your stand.
6 (B)Truly I am [a]as your spokesman before God;
I also have been formed out of clay.
7 (C)Surely no fear of me will terrify you,
Nor will my hand be heavy on you.
8 “Surely you have spoken [b]in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words, saying,
9 ‘I(D) am pure, without transgression;
I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.
10 Yet He finds occasions against me,
(E)He counts me as His enemy;
11 (F)He puts my feet in the stocks,
He watches all my paths.’
12 “Look, in this you are not righteous.
I will answer you,
For God is greater than man.
13 Why do you (G)contend with Him?
For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
14 (H)For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
15 (I)In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,
16 (J)Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.
17 In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,
18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit,
And his life from [c]perishing by the sword.
19 “Man is also chastened with pain on his (K)bed,
And with strong pain in many of his bones,
20 (L)So that his life abhors (M)bread,
And his soul [d]succulent food.
21 His flesh wastes away from sight,
And his bones stick out which once were not seen.
22 Yes, his soul draws near the Pit,
And his life to the executioners.
23 “If there is a messenger for him,
A mediator, one among a thousand,
To show man His uprightness,
24 Then He is gracious to him, and says,
‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit;
I have found [e]a ransom’;
25 His flesh shall be young like a child’s,
He shall return to the days of his youth.
26 He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him,
He shall see His face with joy,
For He restores to man His righteousness.
27 Then he looks at men and (N)says,
‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right,
And it (O)did not profit me.’
28 He will (P)redeem [f]his soul from going down to the Pit,
And his life shall see the light.
29 “Behold, God works all these things,
Twice, in fact, three times with a man,
30 (Q)To bring back his soul from the Pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
Job 33
Young's Literal Translation
33 And yet, I pray thee, O Job, Hear my speech and [to] all my words give ear.
2 Lo, I pray thee, I have opened my mouth, My tongue hath spoken in the palate.
3 Of the uprightness of my heart [are] my sayings, And knowledge have my lips clearly spoken.
4 The Spirit of God hath made me, And the breath of the Mighty doth quicken me.
5 If thou art able -- answer me, Set in array before me -- station thyself.
6 Lo, I [am], according to thy word, for God, From the clay I -- I also, have been formed.
7 Lo, my terror doth not frighten thee, And my burden on thee is not heavy.
8 Surely -- thou hast said in mine ears, And the sounds of words I hear:
9 `Pure [am] I, without transgression, Innocent [am] I, and I have no iniquity.
10 Lo, occasions against me He doth find, He doth reckon me for an enemy to Him,
11 He doth put in the stocks my feet, He doth watch all my paths.'
12 Lo, [in] this thou hast not been righteous, I answer thee, that greater is God than man.
13 Wherefore against Him hast thou striven, When [for] all His matters He answereth not?
14 For once doth God speak, and twice, (He doth not behold it.)
15 In a dream -- a vision of night, In the falling of deep sleep on men, In slumberings on a bed.
16 Then He uncovereth the ear of men, And for their instruction sealeth:
17 To turn aside man [from] doing, And pride from man He concealeth.
18 He keepeth back his soul from corruption, And his life from passing away by a dart.
19 And he hath been reproved With pain on his bed, And the strife of his bones [is] enduring.
20 And his life hath nauseated bread, And his soul desirable food.
21 His flesh is consumed from being seen, And high are his bones, they were not seen!
22 And draw near to the pit doth his soul, And his life to those causing death.
23 If there is by him a messenger, An interpreter -- one of a thousand, To declare for man his uprightness:
24 Then He doth favour him and saith, `Ransom him from going down to the pit, I have found an atonement.'
25 Fresher [is] his flesh than a child's, He returneth to the days of his youth.
26 He maketh supplication unto God, And He accepteth him. And he seeth His face with shouting, And He returneth to man His righteousness.
27 He looketh on men, and saith, `I sinned, And uprightness I have perverted, And it hath not been profitable to me.
28 He hath ransomed my soul From going over into the pit, And my life on the light looketh.'
29 Lo, all these doth God work, Twice -- thrice with man,
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, To be enlightened with the light of the living.
31 Attend, O Job, hearken to me, Keep silent, and I -- I do speak.
32 If there are words -- answer me, Speak, for I have a desire to justify thee.
33 If there are not -- hearken thou to me, Keep silent, and I teach thee wisdom.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
