Job 33

Elihu Confronts Job

¹But now, Job, pay attention to my speech,

and listen to all my words.

²I am going to open my mouth;

my tongue will form words on my palate.

³My words come from my upright ^a heart,

and my lips speak with sincerity what they know.

⁴The Spirit of God has made me,

and the breath of the Almighty ^b gives me life. ^c

⁵Refute me if you can.

Prepare ^d your case against me; take your stand. ^e

⁶I am just like you before God;

I was also pinched off from a piece of clay. ^f

⁷Fear ^g of me should not terrify you;

no pressure from me should weigh you down.

⁸Surely you have spoken in my hearing,

and I have heard these very ^h words:

⁹“I am pure, without transgression;

I am clean and have no iniquity. ⁱ

¹⁰But he finds reasons to oppose me;

he regards me as his enemy. ^j

¹¹He puts my feet in the stocks;

he stands watch ^k over all my paths.”

¹²But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter,

since God is greater than man. ^l

¹³Why do you take ^m him to court

for not answering anything a person asks? ⁿ

¹⁴For God speaks time and again,

but a person may not notice it.

¹⁵In a dream, a vision ^o in the night,

when deep sleep comes over people ^p

as they slumber on their beds,

¹⁶he uncovers their ears ^q

and terrifies them ^r with warnings,

¹⁷in order to turn a person from his actions

and suppress the pride of a person.

¹⁸God spares his soul from the Pit, ^s

his life from crossing the river of death. ^t

¹⁹A person may be disciplined on his bed ^u with pain

and constant distress in his bones, ^v

²⁰so that he detests bread,

and his soul despises his favorite food. ^w

²¹His flesh wastes away to nothing, ^x

and his unseen bones stick out.

²²He draws near to the Pit,

and his life to the executioners.

²³If there is an angel ^y on his side,

one mediator out of a thousand,

to tell a person what is right for him ^z

²⁴and to be gracious to him and say,

“Spare him from going down to the Pit;

I have found a ransom,” ^aa

²⁵then his flesh will be healthier ^ab than in his youth,

and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor. ^ac

²⁶He will pray to God, and God will delight in him.

That person will see his face ^ad with a shout of joy,

and God will restore his righteousness to him. ^ae

²⁷He will look at men and say,

“I have sinned and perverted what was right;

yet I did not get what I deserved. ^af

²⁸He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit,

and I will continue to see the light.”

²⁹God certainly does all these things

two or three times to a person

³⁰in order to turn him back from the Pit,

so he may shine with the light of life. ^ag

³¹Pay attention, Job, and listen to me.

Be quiet, and I will speak.

³²But if you have something to say, ^ah answer me;

speak, for I would like to justify you.

³³If not, then listen to me;

be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.