| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Then Elihu answered and said: | 1Elihu answered: |
| 2“Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you who know; | 2"Listen to my words, you wise men; hear me, you learned men. |
| 3for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. | 3For the ear assesses words as the mouth tastes food. |
| 4Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good. | 4Let us evaluate for ourselves what is right; let us come to know among ourselves what is good. |
| 5For Job has said, ‘I am in the right, and God has taken away my right; | 5For Job says, 'I am innocent, but God turns away my right. |
| 6in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’ | 6Concerning my right, should I lie? My wound is incurable, although I am without transgression.' |
| 7What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water, | 7What man is like Job, who drinks derision like water! |
| 8who travels in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men? | 8He goes about in company with evildoers, he goes along with wicked men. |
| 9For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.’ | 9For he says, 'It does not profit a man when he makes his delight with God.' |
| 10“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. | 10"Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, from the Almighty to do evil. |
| 11For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him. | 11For he repays a person for his work, and according to the conduct of a person, he causes the consequences to find him. |
| 12Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice. | 12Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly, and the Almighty does not pervert justice. |
| 13Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him the whole world? | 13Who entrusted to him the earth? And who put him over the whole world? |
| 14If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, | 14If God were to set his heart on it, and gather in his spirit and his breath, |
| 15all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. | 15all flesh would perish together and human beings would return to dust. |
| 16“If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say. | 16"If you have understanding, listen to this, hear what I have to say. |
| 17Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty, | 17Do you really think that one who hates justice can govern? And will you declare guilty the supremely righteous One, |
| 18who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’ | 18who says to a king, 'Worthless man' and to nobles, 'Wicked men,' |
| 19who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? | 19who shows no partiality to princes, and does not take note of the rich more than the poor, because all of them are the work of his hands? |
| 20In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand. | 20In a moment they die, in the middle of the night, people are shaken and they pass away. The mighty are removed effortlessly. |
| 21“For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. | 21For his eyes are on the ways of an individual, he observes all a person's steps. |
| 22There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves. | 22There is no darkness, and no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide themselves. |
| 23For God has no need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in judgment. | 23For he does not still consider a person, that he should come before God in judgment. |
| 24He shatters the mighty without investigation and sets others in their place. | 24He shatters the great without inquiry, and sets up others in their place. |
| 25Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed. | 25Therefore, he knows their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. |
| 26He strikes them for their wickedness in a place for all to see, | 26He strikes them for their wickedness, in a place where people can see, |
| 27because they turned aside from following him and had no regard for any of his ways, | 27because they have turned away from following him, and have not understood 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— | 28so that they caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he hears the cry of the needy. |
| 29When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?— | 29But if God is quiet, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, then who can see him? Yet he is over the individual and the nation alike, |
| 30that a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people. | 30so that the godless man should not rule, and not lay snares for the people. |
| 31“For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more; | 31"Has anyone said to God, 'I have endured chastisement, but I will not act wrongly any more. |
| 32teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’? | 32Teach me what I cannot see. If I have done evil, I will do so no more.' |
| 33Will he then make repayment to suit you, because you reject it? For you must choose, and not I; therefore declare what you know. | 33Is it your opinion that God should recompense it, because you reject this? But you must choose, and not I, so tell us what you know. |
| 34Men of understanding will say to me, and the wise man who hears me will say: | 34Men of understanding say to me--any wise man listening to me says-- |
| 35‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without insight.’ | 35that Job speaks without knowledge and his words are without understanding. |
| 36Would that Job were tried to the end, because he answers like wicked men. | 36But Job will be tested to the end, because his answers are like those of wicked men. |
| 37For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.” | 37For he adds transgression to his sin; in our midst he claps his hands, and multiplies his words against God." |
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