Job 36
36
Elihu Continues: Hear Me Out
1Elihu continued to speak ⌞to Job⌟,
2“Be patient with me a little longer, and I will show you
that there is more to be said in God’s defense.
3I will get my knowledge from far away
and prove that my Creator is fair.
4Certainly, my words are not lies.
The one who knows everything is ⌞speaking⌟ with you.
God’s Justice Is Beyond Human Understanding
5“Certainly, God is mighty.
He doesn’t despise anyone.
He is mighty and brave.
6He doesn’t allow the wicked person to live.
He grants justice to those who are oppressed.
7He doesn’t take his eyes off righteous people.
He seats them on thrones with kings to honor them forever.
8However, if righteous people are bound in chains
and tangled in ropes of misery,
9he tells them what they’ve done wrong
and that they’ve behaved arrogantly.
10He makes them listen to his warning
and orders them to turn away from wrong.
11“If righteous people listen and serve ⌞him⌟,
they will live out their days in prosperity
and their years in comfort.
12But if they don’t listen,
they will cross the River ⌞of Death⌟
and die like those who have no knowledge.
13But those who have godless hearts remain angry.
They don’t even call for help when he chains them up.
14They die while they’re young,
or they live on as male prostitutes in the temples of idols.
15He rescues suffering people through their suffering,
and he opens their ears through distress.
16“Yes, he lured you away from the jaws of trouble
into an open area where you were not restrained,
and your table was covered with rich foods.
17But you are given the judgment evil people deserve.
A fair judgment will be upheld.
18Be careful that you are not led astray with riches.
Don’t let a large bribe turn you ⌞to evil ways⌟.
19Will your riches save you from having to suffer?
Will all your mighty strength help you?
20Don’t look forward to the night,
when people disappear from their places.
21Be careful! Don’t turn to evil,
because you have chosen evil instead of suffering.
22“God does great things by his power.
Is there any teacher like him?
23Who can tell him which way he should go?
Who can say to him, ‘You did wrong’?
24Remember that you should praise his work.
People have sung about it.
25Every person has seen it.
Mortals have looked at it from a distance.
26“Certainly, God is so great
that he is beyond our understanding.
The number of his years cannot be counted.
27He collects drops of water.
He distills rain from his mist,
28which then drips from the clouds.
It pours down on many people.
29Can anyone really understand how clouds spread out
or how he thunders from his dwelling place?
30Look, he scatters his flashes of lightning around him
and covers the depths of the sea.
31This is how he uses the rains to provide for people
and to give them more than enough food.
32He fills his hands with lightning
and orders it to hit the target.
33The thunder announces his coming.
The storm announces his angry wrath.
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Job 36: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Job 36
36
1Elihu continued,
2“Put up with me a little longer.
I’ll show you I can speak up for God even more.
3I get my knowledge from far away.
I’ll announce that the God who made me is fair.
4You can be sure that my words are true.
One who has perfect knowledge is talking to you.
5“God is mighty, but he doesn’t hate people.
He’s mighty, and he knows exactly what he’s going to do.
6He doesn’t keep alive those who are evil.
Instead, he gives suffering people their rights.
7He watches over those who do what is right.
He puts them on thrones as if they were kings.
He honors them forever.
8But some people are held by chains.
Their pain ties them up like ropes.
9God tells them what they’ve done.
He tells them they’ve become proud and sinned against him.
10He makes them listen when he corrects them.
He commands them to turn away
from the evil things they’ve done.
11If they obey him and serve him,
they’ll enjoy a long and happy life.
Things will go well with them.
12But if they don’t listen to him,
they’ll be killed by swords.
They’ll die because they didn’t want to know anything about him.
13“Those whose hearts are ungodly are always angry.
Even when God puts them in chains,
they don’t cry out for help.
14They die while they are still young.
They die among the male prostitutes at the temples.
15But God saves suffering people while they suffer.
He speaks to them while they are hurting.
16“Job, he wants to take you out of the jaws of trouble.
He wants to bring you to a wide and safe place.
He’d like to seat you at a table that is loaded with the best food.
17But now you are loaded down
with the punishment sinners will receive.
You have been judged fairly.
18Be careful that no one tempts you with riches.
Don’t take money from people who want special favors,
no matter how much it is.
19Can your wealth keep you out of trouble?
Can all your mighty efforts keep you going?
20Don’t wish for the night to come
so you can drag people away from their homes.
21Be careful not to do what is evil.
You seem to like evil better than suffering!
22“God is honored because he is so powerful.
There is no teacher equal to him.
23Who has told him what he can do?
Who has said to him, ‘You have done what is wrong’?
24Remember to thank him for what he’s done.
People have praised him with their songs.
25Every human being has seen his work.
People can see it from far away.
26How great God is! We’ll never completely understand him.
We’ll never find out how long he has lived.
27“He makes mist rise from the water.
Then it falls as rain into the streams.
28The clouds pour down their moisture.
Rain showers fall on people everywhere.
29Who can understand how God spreads out the clouds?
Who can explain how he thunders from his home in heaven?
30See how he scatters his lightning around him!
He lights up the deepest parts of the ocean.
31The rain he sends makes things grow for the nations.
He provides them with plenty of food.
32He holds lightning bolts in his hands.
He commands them to strike their marks.
33His thunder announces that a storm is coming.
Even the cattle let us know it’s approaching.
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