Shared Word Translation
Job 36
Elihu: I Have More to Say for God
Elihu continued and said:
“Wait for me a little, and I will show you,
for there are still words for God.
I will bring my knowledge from far away
and give righteousness to my Maker.
For truly my words are not false;
one complete in knowledge is with you.
God Is Mighty and Does Not Reject
Look, God is mighty and does not reject;
he is mighty in strength of heart.
He does not preserve the wicked alive,
but gives justice to the afflicted.
He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous,
but with kings on the throne
he seats them forever, and they are exalted.
And if they are bound in chains
and caught in cords of affliction,
then he declares to them their work
and their transgressions, that they acted arrogantly.
He opens their ear to discipline
and commands that they turn back from harm.
If they listen and serve him,
they complete their days in prosperity
and their years in pleasantness.
But if they do not listen,
they pass away by the weapon
and expire without knowledge.
God Delivers the Afflicted Through Affliction
The godless in heart store up anger;
they do not cry for help when he binds them.
Their life dies in youth,
and their life among the cult prostitutes.
He delivers the afflicted through their affliction
and opens their ear through oppression.
He also entices you from the mouth of distress
to a broad place with no constraint,
and what is set upon your table will be full of richness.
But you are filled with the judgment of the wicked;
judgment and justice take hold of you.
Beware That Wrath Does Not Entice You
Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,
and do not let the greatness of a ransom turn you aside.
Will your wealth keep you from distress,
or all the forces of your strength?
Do not long for the night,
when peoples are removed from their place.
Take care; do not turn toward harm,
for you have chosen this rather than affliction.
God Is Exalted in His Power
Look, God is exalted in his power.
Who is a teacher like him?
Who has appointed his way for him?
Or who can say, ‘You have done injustice’?
Remember to magnify his work,
which people have sung.
All humanity has seen it;
a mortal beholds it from far away.
Look, God is great, and we do not know him;
the number of his years cannot be searched out.
He Draws Up the Drops of Water
For he draws up drops of water;
they distill rain from his mist,
which the clouds pour down
and drip upon humanity abundantly.
Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion?
Look, he spreads his lightning around him
and covers the roots of the sea.
For by these he judges peoples;
he gives food in abundance.
He covers his hands with lightning
and commands it concerning the target.
His thunder declares his presence;
the cattle also declare what is coming.