| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New International Version |
| 1Then Elihu continued and said, | 1Elihu continued: |
| 2"Wait for me a little, and I will show you That there is yet more to be said in God's behalf. | 2"Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God's behalf. |
| 3"I will fetch my knowledge from afar, And I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. | 3I get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker. |
| 4"For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you. | 4Be assured that my words are not false; one who has perfect knowledge is with you. |
| 5"Behold, God is mighty but does not despise any; He is mighty in strength of understanding. | 5"God is mighty, but despises no one; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose. |
| 6"He does not keep the wicked alive, But gives justice to the afflicted. | 6He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights. |
| 7"He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted. | 7He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. |
| 8"And if they are bound in fetters, And are caught in the cords of affliction, | 8But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, |
| 9Then He declares to them their work And their transgressions, that they have magnified themselves. | 9he tells them what they have done-- that they have sinned arrogantly. |
| 10"He opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they return from evil. | 10He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. |
| 11"If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity And their years in pleasures. | 11If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. |
| 12"But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword And they will die without knowledge. | 12But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge. |
| 13"But the godless in heart lay up anger; They do not cry for help when He binds them. | 13"The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help. |
| 14"They die in youth, And their life perishes among the cult prostitutes. | 14They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines. |
| 15"He delivers the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ear in time of oppression. | 15But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. |
| 16"Then indeed, He enticed you from the mouth of distress, Instead of it, a broad place with no constraint; And that which was set on your table was full of fatness. | 16"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. |
| 17"But you were full of judgment on the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you. | 17But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you. |
| 18"Beware that wrath does not entice you to scoffing; And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. | 18Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. |
| 19"Will your riches keep you from distress, Or all the forces of your strength? | 19Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress? |
| 20"Do not long for the night, When people vanish in their place. | 20Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes. |
| 21"Be careful, do not turn to evil, For you have preferred this to affliction. | 21Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction. |
| 22"Behold, God is exalted in His power; Who is a teacher like Him? | 22"God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? |
| 23"Who has appointed Him His way, And who has said, 'You have done wrong '? | 23Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, 'You have done wrong'? |
| 24"Remember that you should exalt His work, Of which men have sung. | 24Remember to extol his work, which people have praised in song. |
| 25"All men have seen it; Man beholds from afar. | 25All humanity has seen it; mortals gaze on it from afar. |
| 26"Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable. | 26How great is God--beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. |
| 27"For He draws up the drops of water, They distill rain from the mist, | 27"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; |
| 28Which the clouds pour down, They drip upon man abundantly. | 28the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. |
| 29"Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, The thundering of His pavilion? | 29Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? |
| 30"Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea. | 30See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. |
| 31"For by these He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance. | 31This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. |
| 32"He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the mark. | 32He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. |
| 33"Its noise declares His presence; The cattle also, concerning what is coming up. | 33His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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