¹Moreover Elihu answered ,

²“Hear my words , you wise men .

Give ear to me , you who have knowledge .

³For the ear tries words ,

as the palate tastes food.

⁴Let us choose for us that which is right .

Let us know amongst ourselves what is good .

⁵For Job has said, ‘I am righteous ,

God has taken away my right .

⁶Notwithstanding my right I am considered a liar .

My wound is incurable, though I am without disobedience.’

⁷What man is like Job,

who drinks scorn like water ,

⁸who goes in company with the workers of iniquity ,

and walks with wicked men?

⁹For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

that he should delight himself with God .’

¹⁰“Therefore listen to me , you men of understanding :

far be it from God, that he should do wickedness ,

from the Almighty , that he should commit iniquity .

¹¹For the work of a man he will give to him ,

and cause every man to find according to his ways.

¹²Yes surely , God will not do wickedly ,

neither will the Almighty pervert justice .

¹³Who put him in charge of the earth?

Or who has appointed him over the whole world ?

¹⁴If he set his heart on himself ,

if he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath ,

¹⁵all flesh would perish together ,

and man would turn again to dust .

¹⁶“If now you have understanding , hear this .

Listen to the voice of my words .

¹⁷Should even one who hates justice govern ?

Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty ,

¹⁸who says to a king , ‘Vile!’

or to nobles , ‘Wicked !’?

¹⁹He doesn’t respect the persons of princes ,

nor respect the rich more than the poor ,

for they all are the work of his hands .

²⁰In a moment they die , even at midnight .

The people are shaken and pass away .

The mighty are taken away without a hand .

²¹“For his eyes are on the ways of a man .

He sees all his goings .

²²There is no darkness , nor thick gloom ,

where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves .

²³For he doesn’t need to consider a man further ,

that he should go before God in judgement.

²⁴He breaks mighty men in pieces in ways past finding out ,

and sets others in their place .

²⁵Therefore he takes knowledge of their works .

He overturns them in the night , so that they are destroyed .

²⁶He strikes them as wicked men

in the open sight of others;

²⁷because they turned away from following him ,

and wouldn’t pay attention to any of his ways ,

²⁸so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him .

He heard the cry of the afflicted .

²⁹When he gives quietness , who then can condemn ?

When he hides his face , who then can see him ?

He is over a nation or a man alike ,

³⁰that the godless man may not reign ,

that there be no one to ensnare the people .

³¹“For has any said to God ,

‘I am guilty, but I will not offend any more .

³²Teach me that which I don’t see .

If I have done iniquity , I will do it no more ’?

³³Shall his recompense be as you desire, that you refuse it ?

For you must choose, and not I .

Therefore speak what you know .

³⁴Men of understanding will tell me ,

yes, every wise man who hears me :

³⁵‘Job speaks without knowledge .

His words are without wisdom .’

³⁶I wish that Job were tried to the end ,

because of his answering like wicked men.

³⁷For he adds rebellion to his sin .

He claps his hands amongst us ,

and multiplies his words against God.”