35 E·liʹhu continued his response:
2 “Are you so convinced that you are right that you would say,
‘I am more righteous than God’?+
3 For you say, ‘What does it matter to you?
Am I better off than if I had sinned?’+
4 I will reply to you
And to your companions+ with you.
5 Look up to heaven and see,
Observe the clouds,+ which are high above you.
6 If you sin, how do you hurt him?+
If your transgressions multiply, what do you do to him?+
7 If you are righteous, what do you give him;
What does he receive from you?+
8 Your wickedness affects only a human like yourself,
And your righteousness, a son of man.
9 People cry out when under great oppression;
They cry for relief from the domination of the powerful.+
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Grand Maker,+
The one causing songs to be sung in the night?’+
11 He teaches us+ more than the beasts of the earth,+
And he makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens.
12 People cry out, but he does not answer,+
Because of the pride of the wicked.+
13 Surely God does not hear an empty cry;+
The Almighty does not pay attention to it.
14 How much less, then, when you complain that you do not see him!+
Your legal case is before him, so you should wait anxiously for him.+
15 For he has not angrily called for an accounting;
Nor has he taken note of your extreme rashness.+
16 Job opens his mouth wide in vain;
He multiplies words without knowledge.”+
36 E·liʹhu continued:
2 “Be patient with me a little longer while I explain,
For I still have words to speak on God’s behalf.
3 I will speak comprehensively about what I know,
And I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.+
4 Truly my words are not false;
The One perfect in knowledge+ is here before you.
5 Indeed, God is mighty+ and rejects no one;
He is great in his power of understanding.
6 He will not preserve the lives of the wicked,+
But he gives justice to the afflicted.+
7 He does not take his eyes off the righteous;+
He enthrones them with kings,+ and they are exalted forever.
8 But if they are bound in shackles
And caught in ropes of affliction,
9 He reveals to them what they have done,
Their transgressions caused by their pride.
10 He opens their ears to correction
And tells them to turn away from wrongdoing.+
11 If they obey and serve him,
They will live out their days in prosperity,
And their years will be pleasant.+
12 But if they do not obey, they will perish by the sword+
And die without knowledge.
13 The godless at heart will harbor resentment.
They do not cry for help even when he binds them.
14 They die while still young,+
Spending their life among male temple prostitutes.+
15 But God rescues the afflicted during their affliction;
He opens their ear when they are oppressed.
16 He draws you away from the brink of distress+
To a broad space, free of restriction,+
With rich food on your table as consolation.+
17 Then you will be satisfied with the judgment on the wicked,+
When judgment is rendered and justice is upheld.
18 But take care that rage does not lead you into spitefulness,+
And do not let a large bribe lead you astray.
19 Would your cry for help
Or any of your strenuous efforts keep you from distress?+
20 Do not long for the night,
When people vanish from their place.
21 Beware that you do not turn to wrongdoing,
Choosing this instead of affliction.+
22 Look! God is exalted in his power;
What instructor is like him?
23 Who has directed his way+
Or said to him, ‘What you have done is wrong’?+
24 Remember to magnify his activity,+
Of which men have sung.+
25 All mankind has seen it,
Mortal man looks on from a distance.
26 Yes, God is greater than we can know;+
The number of his years is beyond comprehension.+
27 He draws up the drops of water;+
They condense into rain from his mist;
28 Then the clouds pour it down;+
They shower down upon mankind.
29 Can anyone understand the layers of clouds,
The thundering from his tent?+
30 See how he spreads his lightning+ over it
And covers the depths of the sea.
31 By these he sustains the peoples;
He gives them food in abundance.+
32 With his hands he covers the lightning,
And he directs it against its target.+
33 His thunder tells about him,
Even the livestock tell who is coming.
37 “At this my heart pounds
And leaps from its place.
2 Listen carefully to the rumbling of his voice
And the thunder that comes from his mouth.
3 He unleashes it under the entire heavens
And sends his lightning+ to the ends of the earth.
4 After that is a roaring sound;
He thunders with a majestic voice,+
And he does not hold it back when his voice is heard.
5 God thunders with his voice+ in a wonderful way;
He does great things that are beyond our understanding.+
6 For he says to the snow, ‘Fall to the earth,’+
And to the downpour of rain, ‘Pour down mightily.’+
7 God puts a stop to all human activity
So that every mortal man will know His work.
8 The wild animals go into their dens
And remain in their lairs.
9 The storm wind blows from its chamber,+
And the cold comes from the north winds.+
10 By the breath of God, the ice is produced,+
And the broad waters are frozen solid.+
11 Yes, he weighs down the clouds with moisture;
He scatters his lightning+ in the clouds;
12 They swirl around where he directs them;
They carry out whatever he commands+ on the surface of the inhabited earth.
13 Whether it is for punishment+ or for the sake of the land
Or for loyal love, he causes it to happen.+
14 Listen to this, Job;
Stop and consider carefully the wonderful works of God.+
15 Do you know how God controls the clouds
And how he causes the lightning to flash from his cloud?
16 Do you know how the clouds float?+
These are the wonderful works of the One perfect in knowledge.+
17 Why does your clothing become hot
When the earth is still because of the south wind?+
18 Can you, with him, spread out the skies+
As solid as a metal mirror?
19 Tell us what we should say to him;
We cannot answer because we are in the dark.
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
Or has anyone said something that should be communicated to him?+
21 They cannot even see the light,
Though it is bright in the sky,
Until a wind passes by and clears away the clouds.
22 Out of the north comes golden splendor;
God’s majesty+ is awe-inspiring.
23 Understanding the Almighty is beyond our reach;+
He is great in power,+
And he never violates his justice+ and abundant righteousness.+
24 Therefore, people should fear him.+
For he does not favor any who think that they are wise.”+