¹Moreover Elihu answered,

• ²“Hear my words, you wise men.
• Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.

• ³For the ear tries words,
• as the palate tastes food.

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

• ⁵For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,
• God has taken away my right:

• ⁶Notwithstanding my right I am considered a liar.
• My wound is incurable, though I am without disobedience.’

• ⁷What man is like Job,
• who drinks scorn like water,

• ⁸Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,
• and walks with wicked men?

• ⁹For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing
• that he should delight himself with God.’

• ¹⁰“Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:
• far be it from God, that he should do wickedness,
• from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.

• ¹¹For the work of a man he will render to him,
• and cause every man to find according to his ways.

• ¹²Yes surely, God will not do wickedly,
• neither will the Almighty pervert justice.

• ¹³Who put him in charge of the earth?
• or who has appointed him over the whole world?

• ¹⁴If he set his heart on himself,
• If he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath,

• ¹⁵all flesh would perish together,
• and man would turn again to dust.

• ¹⁶“If now you have understanding, hear this.
• Listen to the voice of my words.

• ¹⁷Shall even one who hates justice govern?
• Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty?—

• ¹⁸Who says to a king, ‘Vile!’
• or to nobles, ‘Wicked!’?

• ¹⁹Who doesn’t respect the persons of princes,
• nor respects the rich more than the poor;
• for they all are the work of his hands.

• ²⁰In a moment they die, even at midnight.
• The people are shaken and pass away.
• The mighty are taken away without a hand.

• ²¹“For his eyes are on the ways of a man.
• He sees all his goings.

• ²²There is no darkness, nor thick gloom,
• where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

• ²³For he doesn’t need to consider a man further,
• that he should go before God in judgment.

• ²⁴He breaks in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out,
• and sets others in their place.

• ²⁵Therefore he takes knowledge of their works.
• He overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed.

• ²⁶He strikes them as wicked men
• in the open sight of others;

• ²⁷because they turned aside from following him,
• and wouldn’t pay attention to any of his ways,

• ²⁸so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him.
• He heard the cry of the afflicted.

• ²⁹When he gives quietness, who then can condemn?
• When he hides his face, who then can see him?
• Alike whether to a nation, or to a man,

• ³⁰that the godless man may not reign,
• that there be no one to ensnare the people.

• ³¹“For has any said to God,
• ‘I am guilty, but I will not offend any more.

• ³²Teach me that which I don’t see.
• If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?

• ³³Shall his recompense be as you desire, that you refuse it?
• For you must choose, and not I.
• Therefore speak what you know.

• ³⁴Men of understanding will tell me,
• yes, every wise man who hears me:

• ³⁵‘Job speaks without knowledge.
• His words are without wisdom.’

• ³⁶I wish that Job were tried to the end,
• because of his answering like wicked men.

• ³⁷For he adds rebellion to his sin.
• He claps his hands among us,
• and multiplies his words against God.”