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33:1  “Now, Job, listen to me. Listen carefully to what I say.
33:2  I am ready to speak.
33:3  My heart is honest, so my words are sincere. I will speak the truth about what I know.
33:4  God’s Spirit made me. My life comes from God All-Powerful.
33:5  Listen to me and answer if you can. Get your arguments ready to face me.
33:6  You and I are the same before God. He used clay to make us both.
33:7  Don’t be afraid of me. I will not be hard on you.
33:8  “But, Job, I heard what you said. These were your very words:
33:9  ‘I am pure and innocent; I did nothing wrong; I am not guilty!
33:10  But God found an excuse to attack me. He treats me like an enemy.
33:11  He put chains on my feet and watches everything I do.’
33:12  “But you are wrong about this, and I will prove it to you. God knows more than any of us.
33:13  You are arguing with God! Why do you think he should explain everything to you?
33:14  But maybe God does explain what he does but speaks in ways that people don’t understand.
33:15  He may speak in a dream, or in a vision at night, when people are in a deep sleep lying in their beds.
33:16  He may whisper something in their ear, and they are frightened when they hear his warnings.
33:17  God warns people to stop them from doing wrong and to keep them from becoming proud.
33:18  He does this to save them from death. He wants to keep them from being destroyed.
33:19  “Or those who are sick in bed might be suffering punishment from God. The pain that makes their bones ache might be a warning from him.
33:20  They feel so bad they cannot eat. Even the best food makes them sick.
33:21  Their bodies might waste away until they become thin and all their bones stick out.
33:22  They might be close to death, their lives about to end.
33:23  But maybe one of God’s thousands of angels is watching over them, to speak for them and tell about the good things they have done.
33:24  Maybe the angel will be kind and say to God, ‘Save this one from the place of death! I have found a way to pay for his life.’
33:25  Then that person’s body will become young and strong again. He will be as he was when he was young.
33:26  He will pray and God will answer. He will worship God and shout with joy. He will again stand as right before God.
33:27  He will tell everyone, ‘I sinned. I changed good into bad, but God didn’t give me the punishment I deserved!
33:28  God saved me from going down to the place of death. Now I can enjoy life again.’
33:29  “God does all these things for people again and again.
33:30  He wants them to be saved from death so that they can enjoy life.
33:31  “Job, pay attention and listen to me. Be quiet and let me talk.
33:32  But if you have an answer, go ahead and speak. Tell me your argument. I would be happy to know that you are innocent!
33:33  But if you have nothing to say, then listen to me. Be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.”