34:2 “Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who understand.
34:3 For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food.
34:4 Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us understand among ourselves what is good.
34:5 For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my right;
34:6 Should I lie about my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without wrongdoing.’
34:7 What man is like Job, Who drinks up derision like water,
34:8 Who goes in company with the workers of injustice, And walks with wicked people?
34:9 For he has said, ‘It is of no use to a man When he becomes friends with God.’
34:10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, And from the Almighty to do wrong.
34:11 For He repays a person for his work, And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s behavior.
34:12 God certainly will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
34:13 Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has placed the whole world on Him?
34:14 If He were to determine to do so, If He were to gather His spirit and His breath to Himself,
34:15 Humanity would perish together, And mankind would return to dust.
34:16 “But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words.
34:17 Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
34:18 Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘You wicked one’;
34:19 Who shows no partiality to the prominent, Nor regards the rich as above the poor, Since they are all the work of His hands?
34:20 In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the powerful are taken away without a hand.
34:21 “For His eyes are upon the ways of a person, And He sees all his steps.
34:22 There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of injustice can hide themselves.
34:23 For He does not need to consider a person further, That he should go before God in judgment.
34:24 He breaks in pieces the mighty without investigation, And sets others in their place.
34:25 Therefore He knows their deeds, And He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.
34:26 He strikes them like the wicked In a public place,
34:27 Because they turned aside from following Him, And had no regard for any of His ways,
34:28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He would hear the cry of the afflicted—
34:29 When He keeps quiet, who can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can look at Him, That is, regarding both nation and a person?—
34:30 So that godless people would not rule, Nor be snares for the people.
34:31 “For has anyone said to God, ‘I have endured punishment; I will not offend anymore;
34:32 Teach me what I do not see; If I have done wrong, I will not do it again’?
34:33 Shall God repay on your terms, because you have rejected His? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know.
34:34 Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,
34:35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom.
34:36 Oh that Job were tested to the limit, Because he answers like sinners.
34:37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.’”
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