¹Elihu also continued , and said,

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

for I still have something to say on God’s behalf.

³I will get my knowledge from afar ,

and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker .

⁴For truly my words are not false .

One who is perfect in knowledge is with you .

⁵“Behold , God is mighty , and doesn’t despise anyone .

He is mighty in strength of understanding .

⁶He doesn’t preserve the life of the wicked ,

but gives justice to the afflicted .

⁷He doesn’t withdraw his eyes from the righteous ,

but with kings on the throne ,

he sets them forever , and they are exalted .

⁸If they are bound in fetters ,

and are taken in the cords of afflictions,

⁹then he shows them their work ,

and their transgressions , that they have behaved themselves proudly.

¹⁰He also opens their ears to instruction ,

and commands that they return from iniquity.

¹¹If they listen and serve him ,

they will spend their days in prosperity ,

and their years in pleasures .

¹²But if they don’t listen , they will perish by the sword ;

they will die without knowledge .

¹³“But those who are godless in heart lay up anger.

They don’t cry for help when he binds them .

¹⁴They die in youth .

Their life perishes amongst the unclean .

¹⁵He delivers the afflicted by their affliction ,

and opens their ear in oppression .

¹⁶Yes, he would have allured you out of distress ,

into a wide place , where there is no restriction.

That which is set on your table would be full of fatness .

¹⁷“But you are full of the judgement of the wicked .

Judgement and justice take hold of you.

¹⁸Don’t let riches entice you to wrath ,

neither let the great size of a bribe turn you aside .

¹⁹Would your wealth sustain you in distress,

or all the might of your strength ?

²⁰Don’t desire the night ,

when people are cut off in their place .

²¹Take heed , don’t regard iniquity;

for you have chosen this rather than affliction .

²²Behold , God is exalted in his power .

Who is a teacher like him ?

²³Who has prescribed his way for him ?

Or who can say, ‘You have committed unrighteousness ’?

²⁴“Remember that you magnify his work ,

about which men have sung .

²⁵All men have looked on it .

Man sees it afar off .

²⁶Behold , God is great , and we don’t know him .

The number of his years is unsearchable .

²⁷For he draws up the drops of water ,

which distill in rain from his vapour,

²⁸which the skies pour down

and which drop on man abundantly .

²⁹Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds

and the thunderings of his pavilion ?

³⁰Behold , he spreads his light around him .

He covers the bottom of the sea .

³¹For by these he judges the people .

He gives food in abundance .

³²He covers his hands with the lightning,

and commands it to strike the mark .

³³Its noise tells about him ,

and the livestock also, concerning the storm that comes up .