Elihu Extols God’s Greatness
1 And Elihu continued, and said:
2 “Bear with me a little, and I will show you,
for I have yet something to say on God’s behalf.
3 I will get my knowledge from oafar
and ascribe prighteousness to my qMaker.
4 For truly my words are not false;
one who is rperfect in knowledge is with you.
5 “Behold, God is mighty, and sdoes not despise any;
he is tmighty in strength of understanding.
6 He does not keep the wicked alive,
but gives uthe afflicted their right.
7 He does not withdraw his veyes from the righteous,
but with wkings on the throne
he sets them forever, and they are xexalted.
8 And if they are ybound in chains
and caught in the cords of affliction,
9 then he declares to them their work
and their transgressions, that they are zbehaving arrogantly.
10 He aopens their ears to instruction
and commands that they breturn from iniquity.
11 cIf they listen and serve him,
they dcomplete their days in prosperity,
and their years in pleasantness.
12 But if they do not listen, they eperish by the sword
and die fwithout knowledge.
13 “The ggodless in heart cherish anger;
they do not cry for help when he hbinds them.
14 They idie in youth,
and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.
15 He delivers jthe afflicted by their affliction
and kopens their ear by adversity.
16 He also allured you out of distress
into la broad place where there was no cramping,
17 “But you are full of the judgment on the wicked;
judgment and justice seize you.
18 Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,
and let not the greatness of othe ransom turn you aside.
19 Will your pcry for help avail to keep you from distress,
or all the force of your strength?
20 Do not long for qthe night,
when peoples vanish rin their place.
21 Take care; sdo not turn to iniquity,
for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
22 Behold, God is exalted in his power;
who is ta teacher like him?
23 Who has uprescribed for him his way,
or who can say, v‘You have done wrong’?
24 “Remember to wextol his work,
of which men have xsung.
25 All mankind has looked on it;
man beholds it from afar.
26 Behold, God is great, and we yknow him not;
the number of his zyears is unsearchable.
27 For he draws up the drops of water;
they distill his amist in brain,
28 which cthe skies pour down
and drop on mankind abundantly.
29 Can anyone understand dthe spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his epavilion?
30 Behold, he scatters his lightning about him
and covers the roots of the sea.
31 For by these he fjudges peoples;
he gives gfood in abundance.
32 He covers his hhands with the lightning
and commands it to strike the mark.
33 Its crashing declares his presence;1
the cattle also declare that he rises.
Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty
1 “At this also my heart trembles
and leaps out of its place.
2 Keep listening to the thunder of his voice
and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go,
and his ilightning to the jcorners of the earth.
4 After it khis voice roars;
lhe thunders with his majestic voice,
and he does not restrain the lightnings2 when his voice is heard.
5 God thunders wondrously with his voice;
he does mgreat things that we cannot ncomprehend.
6 For to othe snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.
7 He pseals up the hand of every man,
that all men whom he made may qknow it.
8 Then the beasts go into their rlairs,
and remain in their sdens.
9 From tits chamber ucomes the whirlwind,
and vcold from the scattering winds.
10 By the breath of God wice is given,
and xthe broad waters are frozen fast.
11 He loads the thick cloud with moisture;
the clouds scatter his lightning.
12 They yturn around and around by his zguidance,
zto accomplish all that he commands them
on the face of athe habitable world.
13 Whether for bcorrection or for his cland
or for dlove, he causes it to happen.
14 “Hear this, O Job;
stop and econsider the wondrous works of God.
15 Do you know how God lays his command upon them
and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16 Do you know the balancings3 of the clouds,
the wondrous works of him who is fperfect in knowledge,
17 you whose garments are hot
when the earth is still because of the south wind?
18 Can you, like him, gspread out the skies,
hard as a cast metal hmirror?
19 Teach us what we shall say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of idarkness.
20 Shall it be told him that I would speak?
Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?
21 “And now no one looks on the light
when it is bright in the skies,
when the wind has passed and cleared them.
22 Out of the north comes golden splendor;
God is clothed with jawesome majesty.
23 The Almighty—we kcannot find him;
he is lgreat in power;
mjustice and abundant righteousness he will not nviolate.
24 Therefore men ofear him;
he does not regard any who are pwise in their own conceit.”4
Traditions and Commandments
1 eThen Pharisees and fscribes came to Jesus ffrom Jerusalem and said, 2 g“Why do your disciples break hthe tradition of the elders? jFor they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, k‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, l‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”1 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have mmade void the word2 of God. 7 nYou hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 o“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as pdoctrines the commandments of men.’”
What Defiles a Person
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, q“Hear and understand: 11 rit is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were soffended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, t“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted uwill be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; vthey are blind guides.3 And wif the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, x“Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, y“Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that zwhatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?4 18 But awhat comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come bevil thoughts, cmurder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, dslander. 20 eThese are what defile a person. But fto eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
