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1Elihu answered:
2“Listen to my words, you wise men;
hear me, you learned men.
3For the ear assesses words[#tn Or “examines; tests; tries; discerns.”]
as the mouth tastes food.
4Let us evaluate for ourselves what is right;[#sn Elihu means “choose after careful examination.”; #tn The word is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) again, with the sense of what is right or just.]
let us come to know among ourselves what is good.
5For Job says, ‘I am innocent,[#tn Heb “righteous,” but in this context it means to be innocent or in the right.]
but God turns away my right.
6Concerning my right, should I lie?[#tn The verb is the Piel imperfect of כָּזַב (kazav), meaning “to lie.” It could be a question: “Should I lie [against my right?] – when I am innocent. If it is repointed to the Pual, then it can be “I am made to lie,” or “I am deceived.” Taking it as a question makes good sense here, and so emendations are unnecessary.]
My wound is incurable,
although I am without transgression.’
7What man is like Job,
who drinks derision like water!
8He goes about in company with evildoers,[#tn The perfect verb with the vav (ו) consecutive carries the sequence forward from the last description.; #tn The word חֶבְרַה (khevrah, “company”) is a hapax legomenon. But its meaning is clear enough from the connections to related words and this context as well.]
he goes along with wicked men.
9For he says, ‘It does not profit a man
when he makes his delight with God.’
10“Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.[#tn Heb “men of heart.” The “heart” is used for the capacity to understand and make the proper choice. It is often translated “mind.”]
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
from the Almighty to do evil.
11For he repays a person for his work,[#tn Heb “for the work of man, he [= God] repays him.”]
and according to the conduct of a person,
he causes the consequences to find him.
12Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,
and the Almighty does not pervert justice.
13Who entrusted to him the earth?[#tn The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit; to appoint; to number.” Here it means “to entrust” for care and governing. The implication would be that there would be someone higher than God – which is what Elihu is repudiating by the rhetorical question. No one entrusted God with this.]
And who put him over the whole world?
14If God were to set his heart on it,[#tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.; #tc This is the reading following the Qere. The Kethib and the Syriac and the LXX suggest a reading יָשִׂים (yasim, “if he [God] recalls”). But this would require leaving out “his heart,” and would also require redividing the verse to make “his spirit” the object. It makes better parallelism, but may require too many changes.]
and gather in his spirit and his breath,
15all flesh would perish together
and human beings would return to dust.
16“If you have understanding, listen to this,[#tn The phrase “you have” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.]
hear what I have to say.
17Do you really think[#tn The force of הַאַף (ha’af) is “Is it truly the case?” The point is being made that if Job were right God could not be judging the world.]
that one who hates justice can govern?
And will you declare guilty
the supremely righteous One,
18who says to a king, ‘Worthless man’[#tc Heb “Does one say,” although some smooth it out to say “Is it fit to say?” For the reading “who says,” the form has to be repointed to הַאֹמֵר (ha’omer) meaning, “who is the one saying.” This reading is supported by the LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac. Also it seems to flow better with the following verse. It would be saying that God is over the rulers and can rebuke them. The former view is saying that no one rebukes kings, much less Job rebuking God.; #tn The word בְּלִיָּעַל (bÿliyya’al) means both “worthless” and “wicked.” It is common in proverbial literature, and in later writings it became a description of Satan. It is usually found with “son of.”]
and to nobles, ‘Wicked men,’
19who shows no partiality to princes,
and does not take note of the rich more than the poor,
because all of them are the work of his hands?
20In a moment they die, in the middle of the night,[#tn Dhorme transposes “in the middle of the night” with “they pass away” to get a smoother reading. But the MT emphasizes the suddenness by putting both temporal ideas first. E. F. Sutcliffe leaves the order as it stands in the text, but adds a verb “they expire” after “in the middle of the night” (“Notes on Job, textual and exegetical,” Bib 30 [1949]: 79ff.).]
people are shaken and they pass away.
The mighty are removed effortlessly.
21For his eyes are on the ways of an individual,
he observes all a person’s steps.
22There is no darkness, and no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide themselves.
23For he does not still consider a person,[#tn Heb “for he does not put upon man yet.” This has been given a wide variety of interpretations, all of which involve a lot of additional thoughts. The word עוֹד (’od, “yet, still”) has been replaced with מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, “an appointed time,” Reiske and Wright), with the ם (mem) having dropped out by haplography. This makes good sense. If the MT is retained, the best interpretation would be that God does not any more consider (from “place upon the heart”) man, that he might appear in judgment.]
that he should come before God in judgment.
24He shatters the great without inquiry,[#tn Heb “[with] no investigation.”]
and sets up others in their place.
25Therefore, he knows their deeds,
he overthrows them in the night
and they are crushed.
26He strikes them for their wickedness,[#tn Heb “under wicked men,” or “under wickednesses.” J. C. Greenfield shows that the preposition can mean “among” as well (“Prepositions B Tachat in Jes 57:5,” ZAW 32 [1961]: 227). That would allow “among wicked men.” It could also be “instead of” or even “in return for [their wickedness]” which is what the RSV does.]
in a place where people can see,
27because they have turned away from following him,
and have not understood any of his ways,
28so that they caused the cry of the poor[#tn The verse begins with the infinitive construct of בּוֹא (bo’, “go”), showing the result of their impious actions.]
to come before him,
so that he hears the cry of the needy.
29But if God is quiet, who can condemn him?[#tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.; #tn The verb in this position is somewhat difficult, although it does make good sense in the sentence – it is just not what the parallelism would suggest. So several emendations have been put forward, for which see the commentaries.]
If he hides his face, then who can see him?
Yet he is over the individual and the nation alike,
30so that the godless man should not rule,
and not lay snares for the people.
31“Has anyone said to God,
‘I have endured chastisement,
but I will not act wrongly any more.
32Teach me what I cannot see.[#tn Heb “what I do not see,” more specifically, “apart from [that which] I see.”]
If I have done evil, I will do so no more.’
33Is it your opinion that God should recompense it,[#tn Heb “is it from with you,” an idiomatic expression meaning “to suit you” or “according to your judgment.”; #tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.]
because you reject this?
But you must choose, and not I,
so tell us what you know.
34Men of understanding say to me –
any wise man listening to me says –
35that Job speaks without knowledge[#tn Adding “that” in the translation clarifies Elihu’s indirect citation of the wise individuals’ words.]
and his words are without understanding.
36But Job will be tested to the end,[#tc The MT reads אָבִי (’avi, “my father”), which makes no sense. Some follow the KJV and emend the word to make a verb “I desire” or use the noun “my desire of it.” Others follow an Arabic word meaning “entreat, I pray” (cf. ESV, “Would that Job were tried”). The LXX and the Syriac versions have “but” and “surely” respectively. Since this is the only ms support, albeit weak, it may be the best choice. In this sense Elihu would be saying that because of Job’s attitude God will continue to test him.]
because his answers are like those of wicked men.
37For he adds transgression to his sin;[#tn Although frequently translated “rebellion,” the basic meaning of this Hebrew term is “transgression.”]
in our midst he claps his hands,
and multiplies his words against God.”