Read Amplified Bible, 2015 Job 34 Bible Online

Job 34 - Amplified Bible, 2015 bible

Job 34

¹Elihu continued his discourse and said,

²"Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who have [so much] knowledge.

³"For the ear puts words to the test As the palate tastes food.

⁴"Let us choose for ourselves that which is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good.

⁵"For Job has said, 'I am righteous [and innocent], But God has taken away my right;

⁶Although I am right, I am accounted a liar. My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

⁷"What man is like Job, Who drinks up derision like water,

⁸Who goes in company with those who do evil And walks with wicked men?

⁹"For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing When he takes delight and is pleased with God and obeys Him.'

¹⁰"Therefore hear me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God that He would do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong.

¹¹"For God pays a man according to his work, And He will make every man find [appropriate] compensation according to his way.

¹²"Surely God will not act wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.

¹³"Who put God in charge over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?

¹⁴"If God should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself [that is, withdraw from man] His [life-giving] spirit and His breath,

¹⁵All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.

¹⁶"If you now have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words.

¹⁷"Shall one who hates justice [and is an enemy of right] govern? And will you condemn Him who is just and mighty?

¹⁸"God who says to a king, 'You are worthless and vile,' Or to princes and nobles, 'You are wicked and evil'?

¹⁹"Who is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands.

²⁰"In a moment they die, even at midnight The people are shaken and pass away, And the powerful are taken away without a [human] hand.

²¹"For God's eyes are on the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps.

²²"There is no darkness nor deep shadow Where the evildoers may hide themselves.

²³"For He sets no appointed time for a man, That he should appear before Him in judgment.

²⁴"He breaks mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place.

²⁵"Therefore He knows of their works, And He overthrows them in the night, So that they are crushed and destroyed.

²⁶"He strikes them like the wicked In a public place,

²⁷Because they turned aside from following Him And would not consider or show regard for any of His ways,

²⁸So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And He heard the cry of the afflicted.

²⁹"When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn? When He hides His face [withdrawing His favor and help], who then can behold Him [and make supplication to Him], Whether it be a nation or a man by himself?—

³⁰So that godless men would not rule Nor be snares for the people.

³¹"For has anyone said to God, 'I have endured my chastisement; I will not offend anymore;

³²Teach me what I do not see [in regard to how I have sinned]; If I have done wrong (injustice, unrighteousness), I will not do it again'?

³³"Shall God's retribution [for your sins] be on your terms, because you refuse to accept it? For you must do the choosing, and not I; Therefore say what you [truthfully] know.

³⁴"Men of understanding will tell me, Indeed, every wise man who hears me [will agree],

³⁵'Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom and insight.

³⁶'Job ought to be tried[1] to the limit Because he answers like wicked men!

³⁷'For he adds rebellion [in his unsubmissive, defiant attitude toward God] to his [unacknowledged] sin; He claps his hands among us [in open mockery and contempt of God], And he multiplies his words [of accusation] against God.'"