Job 33 English Standard Version

Elihu Rebukes Job

33 “But now, hear my speech, O Job,
    and listen to all my words.
²Behold, I ^(A)open my mouth;
    the tongue in my mouth speaks.
³My words declare the uprightness of my heart,
    and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
⁴^(B)The Spirit of God has made me,
    and ^(C)the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
⁵^(D)Answer me, if you can;
    ^(E)set your words in order before me; take your stand.
⁶Behold, I am toward God as you are;
    I too was pinched off from a piece of ^(F)clay.
⁷Behold, no ^(G)fear of me need terrify you;
    my ^(H)pressure will not be heavy upon you.

⁸“Surely you have spoken in my ears,
    and I have heard the sound of your words.
⁹You say, ‘I am ^(I)pure, without ^(J)transgression;
    I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
¹⁰Behold, he finds occasions against me,
    he ^(K)counts me as his enemy,
¹¹he ^(L)puts my feet in the stocks
    and ^(M)watches all my paths.’

¹²“Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
    for God is greater than man.
¹³Why do you ^(N)contend against him,
    saying, ‘He ^(O)will answer none of man's^[a] words’?^[b]
¹⁴For God ^(P)speaks in one way,
    ^(Q)and in two, though man ^(R)does not perceive it.
¹⁵In ^(S)a dream, in ^(T)a vision of ^(U)the night,
    when ^(V)deep sleep falls on men,
    while they slumber on their beds,
¹⁶then he ^(W)opens the ears of men
    and terrifies^[c] them with warnings,
¹⁷that he may turn man aside from his ^(X)deed
    and conceal pride from a man;
¹⁸he keeps back his soul from the pit,
    his life from ^(Y)perishing by the sword.

¹⁹“Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed
    and with continual strife in his ^(Z)bones,
²⁰so that his ^(AA)life loathes bread,
    and his appetite ^(AB)the choicest food.
²¹His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
    and his bones that were not seen ^(AC)stick out.
²²His soul draws near ^(AD)the pit,
    and his life to ^(AE)those who bring death.
²³If there be for him ^(AF)an angel,
    ^(AG)a mediator, ^(AH)one of the thousand,
    to declare to man what is ^(AI)right for him,
²⁴and he is merciful to him, and says,
    ‘Deliver him from going down into the pit;
    I have found ^(AJ)a ransom;
²⁵let his flesh ^(AK)become fresh with youth;
    let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;
²⁶then man^[d] ^(AL)prays to God, and he accepts him;
    he ^(AM)sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he ^(AN)restores to man his righteousness.
²⁷    He sings before men and says:
‘I ^(AO)sinned and perverted what was right,
    and it was not repaid to me.
²⁸He has redeemed my ^(AP)soul from going down ^(AQ)into the pit,
    and my life shall ^(AR)look upon the light.’

²⁹“Behold, God does all these things,
    twice, ^(AS)three times, with a man,
³⁰to bring back his soul from the pit,
    that he may be lighted with ^(AT)the light of life.
³¹Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
    be silent, and I will speak.
³²If you have any words, ^(AU)answer me;
    ^(AV)speak, for I desire to justify you.
³³If not, ^(AW)listen to me;
    be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”