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36:1  Elihu then proceeded further and said:
36:2  “Be patient a little longer while I instruct you, for I have more to say on God’s behalf.
36:3  I will take my knowledge from afar to support my assertion that my Master is just.
36:4  I promise that there will be no flaws in my arguments; I come before you as a man of sound learning.
36:5  “God is mighty and does not recant; he is great because of firmness of heart.
36:6  He does not let the wicked live on in all vigor and renders justice to the afflicted.
36:7  He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but he seats them forever with kings on the throne, and they are exalted forever.
36:8  “He will also have sinners fettered with chains and held fast by the bonds of affliction
36:9  after having denounced their conduct and the sins of pride that they have committed.
36:10  He opens their ears to correction, commanding them to turn back from their evil ways.
36:11  “If they obey and once again serve him, they will live out their days in prosperity, and their years will pass pleasantly.
36:12  But if they do not obey him, they will cross the river of death and die as a result of their stubbornness.
36:13  Those whose hearts turn away from God rage against him, and they do not cry for help when he chains them.
36:14  They die in the bloom of their youth after a dissolute life.
36:15  But God rescues the suffering from their affliction, employing their distress to instruct them.
36:16  “He also seeks to snatch you from torment. When you were enjoying a life of comfort with abundant riches and plenteous food,
36:17  you refused to bring the wicked to trial or to uphold the rights of the orphan.
36:18  Beware lest abundance cloud your judgment and that you not be corrupted by lavish gifts.
36:19  Bring the powerful to justice, not merely the poor, those who are powerful, not only the weak.
36:20  “Do not long for the night when you can drag people away from their homes.
36:21  Take care not to turn to evil; that is why you are now being tested by affliction.
36:22  “Behold, God is exalted in his power. What teacher can equal him?
36:23  Who has prescribed the course he should follow? Who can dare to say to him, ‘You have done wrong’?
36:24  “Therefore, remember to extol his work which men have always praised in song.
36:25  All men can behold it, admiring it from afar.
36:26  God is so great that he is beyond our understanding; the number of his years is past counting.
36:27  “It is God who draws up drops of water that he distills as rain to the streams.
36:28  His rain clouds pour down and provide abundant water for mankind.
36:29  “Can anyone fathom how he spreads the clouds as the carpeting of his tent?
36:30  Behold how he scatters his lightning and covers the depths of the sea.
36:31  This is how he nourishes the nations, providing food for them in abundance.
36:32  He holds the lightning in his hands and commands it to strike the designated mark.
36:33  His thunder warns us of his coming as he prepares for combat against iniquity.