Elihu also proceeded, and said,
{Hebrew: Wait for.}Suffer me a little, and I will show thee;
For {Hebrew: there are yet words for God.}I have yet somewhat to say on God's behalf.
I will fetch my knowledge from afar,
And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
For truly my words are not false:
One that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.
Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any:
He is mighty in strength of {Hebrew: heart.}understanding.
He preserveth not the life of the wicked,
But giveth to the afflicted their right.
He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous:
But with kings upon the throne
He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted.
And if they be bound in fetters,
And be taken in the cords of afflictions;
Then he showeth them their work,
And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.
He openeth also their ear to instruction,
And commandeth that they return from iniquity.
If they hearken and serve him,
They shall spend their days in prosperity,
And their years in {Or, pleasantness}pleasures.
But if they hearken not, they shall perish by {Or, weapons}the sword,
And they shall die without knowledge.
But they that are godless in heart lay up anger:
They cry not for help when he bindeth them.
{Hebrew: Their soul dieth.}They die in youth,
And their life perisheth {Or, like}among the {Or, sodomites See Deuteronomy 23:17.}unclean.
He delivereth the afflicted {Or, in}by their affliction,
And openeth their ear {Or, by adversity}in oppression.
Yea, he would have allured thee {Hebrew: out of the mouth of.}out of distress
Into a broad place, where there is no straitness;
And that which is set on thy table would be full of fatness.
But thou {Or, hast filled up}art full of the judgment of the wicked:
Judgment and justice take hold on thee.
{Or, Because there is wrath, beware lest thou be led away by the sufficiency}For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements;
Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside.
Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress,
Or all the forces of thy strength?
Desire not the night,
When peoples {Hebrew: go up.}are cut off in their place.
Take heed, regard not iniquity:
For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
Behold, God doeth loftily in his power:
Who is a teacher like unto him?
Who hath enjoined him his way?
Or who can say, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness?
Remember that thou magnify his work,
Whereof men have sung.
All men have looked thereon;
Man beholdeth it afar off.
Behold, God is great, and we know him not;
The number of his years is unsearchable.
For he draweth up the drops of water,
Which distil in rain {Hebrew: belonging to.}from {Or, the vapor thereof}his vapor,
Which the skies pour down
And drop upon man abundantly.
Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds,
The thunderings of his pavilion?
Behold, he spreadeth his light {Or, thereon}around him;
And he {Or, covereth it with the depths of the sea}covereth the bottom of the sea.
For by these he judgeth the peoples;
He giveth food in abundance.
He covereth his hands with the {Hebrew: light.}lightning,
And giveth it a charge {Or, against the assailant}that it strike the mark.
The noise thereof telleth concerning {Or, it}him,
The cattle also concerning {Or, him}the storm that cometh up.
Querverweise zu Hiob 36,10 Hiob 36,10
He delivereth the afflicted {Or, in}by their affliction,And openeth their ear {Or, by adversity}in oppression.
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?And scoffers delight them in scoffing,And fools hate knowledge?
Then he {Hebrew: uncovereth.}openeth the ears of men,And sealeth their instruction,
{Or, That man may put away his purpose. And that he may hide}That he may withdraw man from his purpose,And hide pride from man;
{Or, That he may keep back}He keepeth back his soul from the pit,And his life from perishing by the {Or, weapons}sword.
He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, {Another reading is, While all his bones are firm.}And with continual strife in his bones;
So that his life abhorreth bread,And his soul dainty food.
His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen;And his bones that were not seen stick out.
Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit,And his life to the destroyers.
If there be with him {Or, a messenger}an angel,An interpreter, one {Or, of the thousand}among a thousand,To show unto man {Or, his uprightness}what is right for him;
Turn you at my reproof:Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you;I will make known my words unto you.
Sacrifice and {Or, meal-offering}offering thou hast no delight in; {Hebrew: Ears hast thou digged (or, pierced) for me.}Mine ears hast thou opened:Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required.
Unto you, O men, I call;And my voice is to the sons of men.
Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from of old thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou didst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.
O ye simple, understand prudence;And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.
Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Jehovah thy God, who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither:As for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,
Come, eat ye of my bread,And drink of the wine which I have mingled.
{Or, Forsake the simple}Leave off, ye simple ones, and live;And walk in the way of understanding.
The Lord Jehovah hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward.
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
learn to do well; seek justice, {Or, set right the oppressor}relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul.
Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near:
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For thus saith Jehovah to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, are these.
For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor;
if ye oppress not the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt:
then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old even for evermore.
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; {Or, so shall they not be a stumblingblock of iniquity unto you}so iniquity shall not be your {Hebrew: stumblingblock.}ruin.
Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
O Israel, return unto Jehovah thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of {Or, your repentance}repentance:
Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;
The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he {Some ancient authorities read declareth to men.}commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent:
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.