| | 1 | Elihu continued: | |
| | 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 get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker. | |
| | 4 | Be assured that my words are not false; one perfect in knowledge is with you. | |
| | 5 | "God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose. | |
| | 6 | He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights. | |
| | 7 | He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. | |
| | 8 | But if men are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, | |
| | 9 | he tells them what they have done--that they have sinned arrogantly. | |
| | 10 | He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. | |
| | 11 | If 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 listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge. | |
| | 13 | "The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help. | |
| | 14 | They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines. | |
| | 15 | But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. | |
| | 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 now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you. | |
| | 18 | Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. | |
| | 19 | Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress? | |
| | 20 | Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes. | |
| | 21 | Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction. | |
| | 22 | "God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? | |
| | 23 | Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, 'You have done wrong'? | |
| | 24 | Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song. | |
| | 25 | All mankind has seen it; men gaze on it from afar. | |
| | 26 | How great is God--beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. | |
| | 27 | "He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; | |
| | 28 | the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. | |
| | 29 | Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? | |
| | 30 | See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. | |
| | 31 | This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. | |
| | 32 | He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. | |
| | 33 | His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach. | |
