1 Moreover Elihu answered, 2 “Hear my words, you wise men. Give ear to me, you who have knowledge. 3 For the ear tries words, as the palate tastes food. 4 Let us choose for us that which is right. Let us know amongst ourselves what is good. 5 For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, God has taken away my right. 6 Notwithstanding my right I am considered a liar. My wound is incurable, though I am without disobedience.’ 7 What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water, 8 who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men? 9 For 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. 11 For the work of a man he will give to him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. 12 Yes surely, God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert justice. 13 Who put him in charge of the earth? Or who has appointed him over the whole world? 14 If he set his heart on himself, if he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath, 15 all 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. 17 Should even one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty, 18 who says to a king, ‘Vile!’ or to nobles, ‘Wicked!’? 19 He doesn’t respect the persons of princes, nor respect the rich more than the poor, for they all are the work of his hands. 20 In 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. 22 There is no darkness, nor thick gloom, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23 For he doesn’t need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in judgement. 24 He breaks mighty men in pieces in ways past finding out, and sets others in their place. 25 Therefore he takes knowledge of their works. He overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed. 26 He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others; 27 because they turned away from following him, and wouldn’t pay attention to any of his ways, 28 so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him. He heard the cry of the afflicted. 29 When he gives quietness, who then can condemn? When he hides his face, who then can see him? He is over a nation or a man alike, 30 that 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. 32 Teach me that which I don’t see. If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’? 33 Shall his recompense be as you desire, that you refuse it? For you must choose, and not I. Therefore speak what you know. 34 Men of understanding will tell me, yes, every wise man who hears me: 35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge. His words are without wisdom.’ 36 I wish that Job were tried to the end, because of his answering like wicked men. 37 For he adds rebellion to his sin. He claps his hands amongst us, and multiplies his words against God.”
Job · World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Job 34 World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org; the text is shown unaltered.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Elihu
Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, who burned with anger against Job and his three friends and spoke after they fell silent.
Cited in the guide: Job 32:2; Job 32:6; Job 34:1
Cross references (36)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 2 1 Corinthians 14:20; Proverbs 1:5; 1 Corinthians 10:15
- 3 Job 12:11; 1 Corinthians 2:15; Hebrews 5:14; Job 33:2; Job 31:30
- 4 1 Thessalonians 5:21; Galatians 2:11–14; 1 Corinthians 6:2–5; Judges 20:7; Judges 19:30
- 5 Job 27:2; Job 33:9; Job 32:1; Job 16:17; Job 9:17
- 6 Job 6:4; Job 16:13; Job 27:4–6
- 7 Job 15:16; Deuteronomy 29:19; Proverbs 1:22; Proverbs 4:17
- 8 Psalm 1:1; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 13:20; Psalm 26:4; Psalm 50:18
- 9 Job 21:14–16; Job 35:3; Malachi 3:14; Job 9:22–23; Psalm 37:4
- 10 Romans 9:14; Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Job 8:3; James 1:13
- 11 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:6; Revelation 22:12; Psalm 62:12; Matthew 16:27
- 12 Job 8:3; Psalm 145:17; Psalm 11:7; Habakkuk 1:12–13
- 13 1 Chronicles 29:11; Isaiah 40:13–14; Romans 11:34–36; Job 36:23; Job 40:8–11
- 14 Psalm 104:29; Job 9:4; Job 7:17; Isaiah 24:22
- 15 Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Isaiah 57:16; Psalm 90:3–10; Job 30:23
- 16 Job 13:2–6; Job 12:3
- 17 Genesis 18:25; Romans 9:14; Job 40:8; 2 Samuel 23:3; Romans 3:5–7
- 18 Exodus 22:28; Proverbs 17:26; Romans 13:7; Acts 23:3; Jude 8
- 19 Deuteronomy 10:17; James 2:5; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Colossians 3:25
- 20 Psalm 73:19; Isaiah 30:30–33; 1 Samuel 25:37–39; Luke 12:20; Isaiah 30:13
- 21 Proverbs 15:3; Job 31:4; Proverbs 5:21; Jeremiah 16:17; Jeremiah 32:19
- 22 Hebrews 4:13; Amos 9:2–3; Proverbs 10:29; Psalm 139:11–12; Jeremiah 23:24
- 23 Daniel 9:7–9; Psalm 119:137; Ezra 9:13; Romans 9:20; Job 11:11
- 24 Psalm 113:7–8; Daniel 2:21; Psalm 72:4; Psalm 94:5; Psalm 2:9
- 25 Job 34:20; Hosea 7:2; Psalm 33:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Isaiah 66:18
- 26 Psalm 58:10–11; Deuteronomy 13:9–11; 1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Samuel 12:11–12; Revelation 18:20
- 27 1 Samuel 15:11; Psalm 28:5; Isaiah 5:12; Hebrews 10:39; Luke 17:31–32
- 28 James 5:4; Exodus 3:7; Job 35:9; Exodus 3:9; Psalm 12:5
- 29 Job 23:13; John 14:27; Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 27:9; Romans 8:31–34
- 30 Proverbs 29:2–12; Psalm 12:8; Revelation 13:3–4; 2 Thessalonians 2:4–11; Job 34:21
- 31 Job 33:27; Micah 7:9; Ezra 9:13–14; Nehemiah 9:33–38; Leviticus 26:41
- 32 Psalm 32:8; Psalm 25:4–5; Psalm 19:12; Psalm 139:23–24; Psalm 143:8–10
- 33 Job 33:32; Job 34:11; Proverbs 11:31; Psalm 135:6; Isaiah 45:9
- 34 Job 34:10; Job 34:4; Job 34:2; 1 Corinthians 10:15; Job 34:16
- 35 Job 35:16; Job 38:2; Job 13:2; Job 15:2; Job 42:3
- 36 James 5:11; Job 21:7; Job 24:1; Psalm 17:3; Job 34:8–9
- 37 Job 27:23; Isaiah 1:19–20; 1 Samuel 15:23; Job 11:2–3; Job 8:2–3
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
in another place it is most unambiguously said of God, that He "maketh the man who is an hypocrite to reign on account of the perver sity of the people." Wherefore, though I have, according to my ability, shown for what reason God, who alone is true and just, helped forward the Romans, who were good according to a certain …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)