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Job 34

¹Then Eli'hu said:

²"Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you who know;

³for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food.

⁴Let us choose what is right; let us determine among ourselves what is good.

⁵For Job has said, `r Job has said, "I am innocent, and God has taken away my right;

⁶in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

⁷What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water,

⁸who goes in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men?

⁹For he has said, `r 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 do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

¹¹For according to the work of a man he will requite him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him.

¹²Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.

¹³Who gave him charge over the earth and who laid on him the whole world?

¹⁴If he should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to himself his breath,

¹⁵all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.

¹⁶"If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say.

¹⁷Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

¹⁸who says to a king, `o says to a king, "Worthless one,' and to nobles, `d to nobles, "Wicked man';

¹⁹who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?

²⁰In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

²¹"For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.

²²There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.

²³For he has not appointed a time for any man to go before God in judgment.

²⁴He shatters the mighty without investigation, and sets others in their place.

²⁵Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.

²⁶He strikes them for their wickedness in the sight of men,

²⁷because they turned aside from following him, and had no regard for any of his ways,

²⁸so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted--

²⁹When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?--

³⁰that a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people.

³¹"For has any one said to God, ` have borne chastisement; I will not offend any more;

³²teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more'?

³³Will he then make requital to suit you, because you reject it? For you must choose, and not I; therefore declare what you know.

³⁴Men of understanding will say to me, and the wise man who hears me will say:

³⁵`Job speaks without knowledge, his words are without insight.'

³⁶Would that Job were tried to the end, because he answers like wicked men.

³⁷For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God."

Job 34 (RSV)

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Job

Chapter 34

34 of 42