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Elihu continued and said:
2 “Hear my words, you wise men,
and give ear to me, you who have knowledge.
3 For the ear tests words,
as the palate tastes food.
4 Let us choose for ourselves what is right;
let us decide together what is good.
5 For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
but God has deprived me of justice.
6 Although I am in the right,
I am counted a liar;
although I am without transgression
my wound is incurable’.
7 What man is there like Job,
who drinks up scorn like water?
8 For he keeps company with evildoers,
and walks with wicked men.
9 He has said, ‘There is no profit for a man
when he finds his delight in God’.
10 “Therefore, listen to me you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
for the Almighty to do wrong.
11 For He renders to a man according to his deeds,
and He repays as the man deserves by his conduct.
12 In truth, God will certainly not do wickedly,
nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
13 Who appointed Him authority over the earth?
Who laid on Him the whole world?
14 If He should set His heart to do so,
and withdrew His Spirit and His breath,
15 all flesh would perish together,
and man would return to the dust.
16 “If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I have to say.
17 Can one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn the righteous and mighty One?
18 who says to a king, ‘You are worthless!’,
and to princes, ‘You are wicked!’?
19 For God shows no partiality to princes,
nor does He favour the rich over the poor,
for they are all the work of His hands.
20 They die in a moment, in the middle of the night;
the people are shaken, then they pass away,
the mighty are taken away without human hand.
21 “For His eyes are on the ways of man,
and He sees his every step.
22 There is no darkness, no deep shadow
where evildoers may hide.
23 No further examination of a man is necessary
that he need appear before God for judgment.
24 For God breaks powerful men in pieces without an inquiry,
and sets up others in their place.
25 Because He takes knowledge of all their deeds,
He overthrows them in the night, and they are crushed.
26 He strikes them for their wickedness
where all people can see them,
27 because they turned aside from following Him,
and would not consider any of His ways,
28 but they caused the poor to cry out to Him,
and God heard the cry of the afflicted.
29 When God is silent, who then can condemn Him?
If He hides His face, who then can see Him?
He watches over both the nation and the individual alike,
30to keep godless men from ruling,
or laying snares for the people.
31 “If someone says to God,
‘Though I must bear my guilt, I will not offend again.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have committed iniquity,
yet I will not do so again’.
33 Should God repay you according to your own terms,
because you have rejected His?
For you must choose, and not I;
therefore declare what you know.
34 “Men of understanding say to me,
and wise men who hear me say,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;
his words are without insight’.
36 If only Job could be tried to the limit,
because he answers like wicked men.
37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;
he claps his hands among us,
and multiplies his words against God.”