36
Elihu Speaks of God’s Dealings with Men
1 Elihu continued and said,
2 “Bear with me a little longer, and I will show you,
That there is yet more to say on God’s behalf.
3 “I will bring my knowledge from afar,
And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4 “For truly my words are not false;
He who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5 “Behold, God is mighty, and yet does not despise anyone [nor regard any as trivial];
He is mighty in the strength and power of understanding.
6 “He does not prolong the life of the wicked,
But gives the afflicted their justice.
7 “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous [those in right standing with Him];
But with kings upon the throne
He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
8 “And if they are bound in bonds [of adversity],
And held by cords of affliction, [Ps 107:10, 11]
9 Then He declares to them [the true character of] their deeds
And their transgressions, that they have acted arrogantly [with presumption and notions of self-sufficiency].
10 “He opens their ears to instruction and discipline,
And commands that they return from evil.
11 “If they hear and serve Him,
They will end their days in prosperity
And their years in pleasantness and joy.
12 “But if they do not hear and obey, they will die by the sword [of God’s destructive judgments]
And they will die [in ignorance] without [true] knowledge.
13 “But the godless in heart store up anger [at the divine discipline];
They do not cry [to Him] for help when He binds them [with cords of affliction]. [Rom 2:5]
14 “They die in youth,
And their life ends among the cult prostitutes. [Deut 23:17]
15 “He rescues the afflicted in their affliction,
And opens their ears [so that they pay attention to His voice] in times of oppression.
16 “Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress and confinement,
Into a broad place where there is no constraint or distress;
And that which was set on your table was full of fatness (rich food).
17 “But you [Job] were full of judgment on the wicked,
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 “Do not let wrath entice you into scoffing;
And do not let the greatness and the extent of the ransom turn you aside.
19 “Will your wealth [be sufficient to] keep you from [the confinement of] distress,
Or will all the force of your strength do it?
20 “Do not long for the night,
When people vanish from their places.
21 “Take heed and be careful, do not turn to wickedness,
For you have chosen this [the vice of complaining against God] rather than [learning from] affliction.
22 “Behold, God is exalted in His power;
Who is a ruler or a teacher like Him?
23 “Who has appointed God His way,
And who can say [to Him], ‘You have done wrong’?
24 “Remember that you should magnify God’s work,
Of which men have sung.
25 “All men have seen God’s work;
Man looks at it from a distance.
26 “Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him;
The number of His years is unsearchable. [1 Cor 13:12]
27 “For He draws up the drops of water,
They distill rain from the mist,
28 Which the clouds pour down,
They drop abundantly upon mankind.”
29 “Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds
Or the thundering of His pavilion? [Ps 18:11; Is 40:22]
30 “Behold, He spreads His lightning around Him [against the dark clouds],
And He covers the depths of the sea.
31 “For by these [mighty acts] He judges the peoples;
He gives food in abundance.
32 “He covers His hands with the lightning,
And commands it to strike the mark.
33 “His thundering voice declares [awesomely] His presence;
The cattle also are told of His coming storm.