Elihu Claims to Speak for God
33 “However, please (A)hear my speech, Job,
And listen to all my words.
2 Behold now, I open my mouth,
My tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 My words are from the integrity of my heart,
And my lips speak (B)knowledge sincerely.
4 The (C)Spirit of God has made me,
And the (D)breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 (E)Refute me if you can;
Line up against me, take your stand.
6 Behold, I belong to God, like you;
I too have been formed out of the (F)clay.
7 Behold, (G)no fear of me should terrify you,
Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.
8 “You have in fact spoken while I listened,
And I heard the sound of your words:
9 ‘I am (H)pure, (I)without wrongdoing;
I am innocent and there (J)is no guilt in me.
10 Behold, He invents criticisms against me;
He (K)counts me as His enemy.
11 He (L)puts my feet in the stocks;
He watches all my paths.’
12 Behold, let me respond to you, (M)you are not right in this,
For God is greater than mankind.
13 “Why do you (N)complain to Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
14 Indeed (O)God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
15 In a (P)dream, a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
While they slumber in their beds,
16 Then (Q)He opens the ears of people,
And horrifies them with warnings,
17 So that He may turn a person away from bad conduct,
And keep a man from pride;
18 He (R)keeps his soul back from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the (S)spear.
19 “A person is also rebuked by (T)pain in his bed,
And with constant complaint in his bones,
20 So that his life (U)loathes bread,
And his soul, food that he should crave.
21 His (V)flesh wastes away from sight,
And his (W)bones, which were not seen, stick out.
22 Then (X)his soul comes near to the pit,
And his life to those who bring death.
23 “If there is an (Y)interceding angel for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a person of what is right for him,
24 And he is gracious to him, and says,
‘Free him from (Z)going down to the pit,
I have found a (AA)ransom’;
25 Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
26 Then he will (AB)pray to God, and He will accept him,
So that (AC)he may see His face with joy,
And He will restore His righteousness to that person.
27 He will sing to people and say,
‘I (AD)have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not (AE)proper for me.
28 He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life will (AF)see the light.’
29 “Behold, God does (AG)all these things for a man two or three times,
30 To (AH)bring back his soul from the pit,
So that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
31 Pay attention, Job, listen to me;
Keep silent, and let me speak.
32 Then if you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I would take pleasure in justifying you.
33 If not, (AI)listen to me;
Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Footnotes
- Job 33:2
- Job 33:4
- Job 33:6
- Job 33:8
- Job 33:10
- Job 33:10
- Job 33:17
- Job 33:20
- Job 33:23
- Job 33:32
Cross references
- Job 33:1 : Job 13:6
- Job 33:3 : Job 6:28; 27:4; 36:4
- Job 33:4 : Gen 2:7; Job 10:3; 32:8
- Job 33:4 : Job 27:3
- Job 33:5 : Job 33:32
- Job 33:6 : Job 4:19
- Job 33:7 : Job 13:21
- Job 33:9 : Job 9:21; 10:7; 13:18; 16:17
- Job 33:9 : Job 7:21; 13:23; 14:17
- Job 33:9 : Job 10:14
- Job 33:10 : Job 13:24
- Job 33:11 : Job 13:27
- Job 33:12 : Eccl 7:20
- Job 33:13 : Job 40:2; Is 45:9
- Job 33:14 : Job 33:29; 40:5; Ps 62:11
- Job 33:15 : Job 4:12-17; 33:15-18
- Job 33:16 : Job 36:10, 15
- Job 33:18 : Job 33:22, 24, 28, 30
- Job 33:18 : Job 15:22
- Job 33:19 : Job 30:17
- Job 33:20 : Job 3:24; 6:7; Ps 107:18
- Job 33:21 : Job 16:8
- Job 33:21 : Job 19:20; Ps 22:17; 102:5
- Job 33:22 : Job 33:18, 28
- Job 33:23 : Gen 40:8
- Job 33:24 : Job 33:18, 28; Is 38:17
- Job 33:24 : Job 36:18; Ps 49:7
- Job 33:26 : Job 22:27; 34:28; Ps 50:14, 15
- Job 33:26 : Job 22:26
- Job 33:27 : 2 Sam 12:13; Luke 15:21
- Job 33:27 : Rom 6:21
- Job 33:28 : Job 22:28
- Job 33:29 : Eph 1:11; Phil 2:13
- Job 33:30 : Job 33:18; Zech 9:11
- Job 33:33 : Ps 34:11
