The Lord Speaks

1Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

2“Who is this that obscures my plans

with words without knowledge?

3Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

4“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

Tell me, if you understand.

5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6On what were its footings set,

or who laid its cornerstone—

7while the morning stars sang together

and all the angels shouted for joy?

8“Who shut up the sea behind doors

when it burst forth from the womb,

9when I made the clouds its garment

and wrapped it in thick darkness,

10when I fixed limits for it

and set its doors and bars in place,

11when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;

here is where your proud waves halt’?

12“Have you ever given orders to the morning,

or shown the dawn its place,

13that it might take the earth by the edges

and shake the wicked out of it?

14The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;

its features stand out like those of a garment.

15The wicked are denied their light,

and their upraised arm is broken.

16“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea

or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17Have the gates of death been shown to you?

Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?

18Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?

Tell me, if you know all this.

19“What is the way to the abode of light?

And where does darkness reside?

20Can you take them to their places?

Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

21Surely you know, for you were already born!

You have lived so many years!

22“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow

or seen the storehouses of the hail,

23which I reserve for times of trouble,

for days of war and battle?

24What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,

or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

25Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,

and a path for the thunderstorm,

26to water a land where no one lives,

an uninhabited desert,

27to satisfy a desolate wasteland

and make it sprout with grass?

28Does the rain have a father?

Who fathers the drops of dew?

29From whose womb comes the ice?

Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens

30when the waters become hard as stone,

when the surface of the deep is frozen?

31“Can you bind the chain sof the Pleiades?

Can you loosen Orion’s belt?

32Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons

or lead out the Bear with its cubs?

33Do you know the laws of the heavens?

Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?

34“Can you raise your voice to the clouds

and cover yourself with a flood of water?

35Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?

Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?

36Who gives the ibis wisdom

or gives the rooster understanding?

37Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?

Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

38when the dust becomes hard

and the clods of earth stick together?

39“Do you hunt the prey for the lioness

and satisfy the hunger of the lions

40when they crouch in their dens

or lie in wait in a thicket?

41Who provides food for the raven

when its young cry out to God

and wander about for lack of food?

1“At this my heart pounds

and leaps from its place.

2Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,

to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

3He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven

and sends it to the ends of the earth.

4After that comes the sound of his roar;

he thunders with his majestic voice.

When his voice resounds,

he holds nothing back.

5God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;

he does great things beyond our understanding.

6He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’

and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

7So that everyone he has made may know his work,

he stops all people from their labor.

8The animals take cover;

they remain in their dens.

9The tempest comes out from its chamber,

the cold from the driving winds.

10The breath of God produces ice,

and the broad waters become frozen.

11He loads the clouds with moisture;

he scatters his lightning through them.

12At his direction they swirl around

over the face of the whole earth

to do whatever he commands them.

13He brings the clouds to punish people,

or to water his earth and show his love.

14“Listen to this, Job;

stop and consider God’s wonders.

15Do you know how God controls the clouds

and makes his lightning flash?

16Do you know how the clouds hang poised,

those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?

17You who swelter in your clothes

when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

18can you join him in spreading out the skies,

hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

19“Tell us what we should say to him;

we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

20Should he be told that I want to speak?

Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?

21Now no one can look at the sun,

bright as it is in the skies

after the wind has swept them clean.

22Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;

God comes in awesome majesty.

23The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;

in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

24Therefore, people revere him,

for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?”

1Elihu continued:

2“Bear with me a little longer and I will show you

that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.

3I get my knowledge from afar;

I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

4Be assured that my words are not false;

one who has perfect knowledge is with you.

5“God is mighty, but despises no one;

he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

6He does not keep the wicked alive

but gives the afflicted their rights.

7He does not take his eyes off the righteous;

he enthrones them with kings

and exalts them forever.

8But if people are bound in chains,

held fast by cords of affliction,

9he tells them what they have done—

that they have sinned arrogantly.

10He makes them listen to correction

and commands them to repent of their evil.

11If they obey and serve him,

they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity

and their years in contentment.

12But if they do not listen,

they will perish by the sword

and die without knowledge.

13“The godless in heart harbor resentment;

even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.

14They die in their youth,

among male prostitutes of the shrines.

15But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;

he speaks to them in their affliction.

16“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress

to a spacious place free from restriction,

to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

17But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;

judgment and justice have taken hold of you.

18Be careful that no one entices you by riches;

do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

19Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts

sustain you so you would not be in distress?

20Do not long for the night,

to drag people away from their homes.

21Beware of turning to evil,

which you seem to prefer to affliction.

22“God is exalted in his power.

Who is a teacher like him?

23Who has prescribed his ways for him,

or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?

24Remember to extol his work,

which people have praised in song.

25All humanity has seen it;

mortals gaze on it from afar.

26How great is God—beyond our understanding!

The number of his years is past finding out.

27“He draws up the drops of water,

which distill as rain to the streams;

28the clouds pour down their moisture

and abundant showers fall on mankind.

29Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,

how he thunders from his pavilion?

30See how he scatters his lightning about him,

bathing the depths of the sea.

31This is the way he governs the nations

and provides food in abundance.

32He fills his hands with lightning

and commands it to strike its mark.

33His thunder announces the coming storm;

even the cattle make known its approach.

1Then Elihu said:

2“Do you think this is just?

You say, ‘I am in the right, not God.’

3Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me,

and what do I gain by not sinning?’

4“I would like to reply to you

and to your friends with you.

5Look up at the heavens and see;

gaze at the clouds so high above you.

6If you sin, how does that affect him?

If your sins are many, what does that do to him?

7If you are righteous, what do you give to him,

or what does he receive from your hand?

8Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,

and your righteousness only other people.

9“People cry out under a load of oppression;

they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.

10But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,

who gives songs in the night,

11who teaches us more than he teachesthe beasts of the earth

and makes us wiser thanthe birds in the sky?’

12He does not answer when people cry out

because of the arrogance of the wicked.

13Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;

the Almighty pays no attention to it.

14How much less, then, will he listen

when you say that you do not see him,

that your case is before him

and you must wait for him,

15and further, that his anger never punishes

and he does not take the least notice of wickedness.

16So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;

without knowledge he multiplies words.”

1Then Elihu said:

2“Hear my words, you wise men;

listen to me, you men of learning.

3For the ear tests words

as the tongue tastes food.

4Let us discern for ourselves what is right;

let us learn together what is good.

5“Job says, ‘I am innocent,

but God denies me justice.

6Although I am right,

I am considered a liar;

although I am guiltless,

his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.’

7Is there anyone like Job,

who drinks scorn like water?

8He keeps company with evildoers;

he associates with the wicked.

9For he says, ‘There is no profit

in trying to please God.’

10“So listen to me, you men of understanding.

Far be it from God to do evil,

from the Almighty to do wrong.

11He repays everyone for what they have done;

he brings on them what their conduct deserves.

12It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,

that the Almighty would pervert justice.

13Who appointed him over the earth?

Who put him in charge of the whole world?

14If it were his intention

and he withdrew his spiritand breath,

15all humanity would perish together

and mankind would return to the dust.

16“If you have understanding, hear this;

listen to what I say.

17Can someone who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn the just and mighty One?

18Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’

and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’

19who shows no partiality to princes

and does not favor the rich over the poor,

for they are all the work of his hands?

20They die in an instant, in the middle of the night;

the people are shaken and they pass away;

the mighty are removed without human hand.

21“His eyes are on the ways of mortals;

he sees their every step.

22There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness,

where evildoers can hide.

23God has no need to examine people further,

that they should come before him for judgment.

24Without inquiry he shatters the mighty

and sets up others in their place.

25Because he takes note of their deeds,

he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.

26He punishes them for their wickedness

where everyone can see them,

27because they turned from following him

and had no regard for any of his ways.

28They caused the cry of the poor to come before him,

so that he heard the cry of the needy.

29But if he remains silent, who can condemn him?

If he hides his face, who can see him?

Yet he is over individual and nation alike,

30to keep the godless from ruling,

from laying snares for the people.

31“Suppose someone says to God,

‘I am guilty but will offend no more.

32Teach me what I cannot see;

if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’

33Should God then reward you on your terms,

when you refuse to repent?

You must decide, not I;

so tell me what you know.

34“Men of understanding declare,

wise men who hear me say to me,

35‘Job speaks without knowledge;

his words lack insight.’

36Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost

for answering like a wicked man!

37To his sin he adds rebellion;

scornfully he claps his hands among us

and multiplies his words against God.”

1“But now, Job, listen to my words;

pay attention to everything I say.

2I am about to open my mouth;

my words are on the tip of my tongue.

3My words come from an upright heart;

my lips sincerely speak what I know.

4The Spirit of God has made me;

the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

5Answer me then, if you can;

stand up and argue your case before me.

6I am the same as you in God’s sight;

I too am a piece of clay.

7No fear of me should alarm you,

nor should my hand be heavy on you.

8“But you have said in my hearing—

I heard the very words—

9‘I am pure, I have done no wrong;

I am clean and free from sin.

10Yet God has found fault with me;

he considers me his enemy.

11He fastens my feet in shackles;

he keeps close watch on all my paths.’

12“But I tell you, in this you are not right,

for God is greater than any mortal.

13Why do you complain to him

that he responds to no one’s words?

14For God does speak—now one way, now another—

though no one perceives it.

15In a dream, in a vision of the night,

when deep sleep falls on people

as they slumber in their beds,

16he may speak in their ears

and terrify them with warnings,

17to turn them from wrongdoing

and keep them from pride,

18to preserve them from the pit,

their lives from perishing by the sword.

19“Or someone may be chastened on a bed of pain

with constant distress in their bones,

20so that their body finds food repulsive

and their soul loathes the choicest meal.

21Their flesh wastes away to nothing,

and their bones, once hidden, now stick out.

22They draw near to the pit,

and their life to the messengers of death.

23Yet if there is an angel at their side,

a messenger, one out of a thousand,

sent to tell them how to be upright,

24and he is gracious to that person and says to God,

‘Spare them from going down to the pit;

I have found a ransom for them—

25let their flesh be renewed like a child’s;

let them be restored as in the days of their youth’—

26then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,

they will see God’s face and shout for joy;

he will restore them to full well-being.

27And they will go to others and say,

‘I have sinned, I have perverted what is right,

but I did not get what I deserved.

28God has delivered me from going down to the pit,

and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’

29“God does all these things to a person—

twice, even three times—

30to turn them back from the pit,

that the light of life may shine on them.

31“Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

32If you have anything to say, answer me;

speak up, for I want to vindicate you.

33But if not, then listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Elihu

1So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.4Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. 5But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.

6So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:

“I am young in years,

and you are old;

that is why I was fearful,

not daring to tell you what I know.

7I thought, ‘Age should speak;

advanced years should teach wisdom.’

8But it is the spiritin a person,

the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.

9It is not only the oldwho are wise,

not only the aged who understand what is right.

10“Therefore I say: Listen to me;

I too will tell you what I know.

11I waited while you spoke,

I listened to your reasoning;

while you were searching for words,

12I gave you my full attention.

But not one of you has proved Job wrong;

none of you has answered his arguments.

13Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;

let God, not a man, refute him.’

14But Job has not marshaled his words against me,

and I will not answer him with your arguments.

15“They are dismayed and have no more to say;

words have failed them.

16Must I wait, now that they are silent,

now that they stand there with no reply?

17I too will have my say;

I too will tell what I know.

18For I am full of words,

and the spirit within me compels me;

19inside I am like bottled-up wine,

like new wineskins ready to burst.

20I must speak and find relief;

I must open my lips and reply.

21I will show no partiality,

nor will I flatter anyone;

22for if I were skilled in flattery,

my Maker would soon take me away.