Job 32

Elihu Rebukes Job and His Three Friends

¹Then these three men ceased from answering Job because he was righteous in his own eyes.

²So Elihu the son of Barakel the Buzite, from the clan of Ram, became angry. He became angry at Job because he justified himself rather than God,[#Literally “the nose of Elihu became hot”; #Literally “His nose became hot”]

³and he became angry at his three friends because they had not found an answer, and they had declared Job guilty.[#Literally “his nose became hot”]

⁴Thus Elihu had waited for Job to speak because they were older than he.[#Literally “in words”; #Literally “they were older than he as far as days”]

⁵When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, he became angry.[#Literally “his nose became hot”]

⁶Then Elihu the son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up and said,[#Literally “answered”; see NET]

“I am young, but you are old;

therefore I feared and became afraid of explaining my knowledge to you.

⁷I thought, ‘Let days speak,[#Or “said”; #Compare the idiom of “as far as days” in vv. 4 and 6]

and let many years teach wisdom.’

⁸“Truly, it is a spirit in a human being,

and the breath of Shaddai teaches them.

⁹It is not the aged who are wise,[#Literally “many in days”]

or it is not the elders who understand justice.

¹⁰Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;

let me also declare my knowledge myself.’

¹¹“Look, I waited for your words;[#Plural]

I listened for your insight,

until you searched out what to say.

¹²And I directed my attention to you;[#Plural]

and, look, there is no one for Job who refuted,

answering his words among you.

¹³So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;

let God refute him, not a man.’

¹⁴But he did not direct his words to me,[#Hebrew “And”; #Or “sentences,” or “what he said”]

and I will not answer him with your words.

¹⁵“They are dismayed; they no longer answer;

they have nothing to say.

¹⁶And I have waited because they do not speak,

because they stand there and no longer answer.

¹⁷I myself will answer my share also;

I myself will declare my knowledge also,

¹⁸for I am full of words;[#Or “sentences,” or “what to say”]

the spirit within me urges me.

¹⁹“Look, my internal organs are like unopened wine,

like new wineskins it is ready to burst open.

²⁰Let me speak that I may find relief;[#Literally “and let it find relief for me”]

let me open my lips, and let me answer.

²¹Please let me not show partiality to anyone,[#Literally “Not please I will lift up face of a man”]

and let me not show flattery to human beings,

²²for I do not know how to flatter,[#Literally “I will flatter”]

else my Maker would soon put an end to me.