Job 33-34

New Living Translation

⁸ “You have spoken in my hearing,
    and I have heard your very words.
⁹ You said, ‘I am pure; I am without sin;
    I am innocent; I have no guilt.
¹⁰ God is picking a quarrel with me,
    and he considers me his enemy.
¹¹ He puts my feet in the stocks
    and watches my every move.’

¹² “But you are wrong, and I will show you why.
    For God is greater than any human being.
¹³ So why are you bringing a charge against him?
    Why say he does not respond to people’s complaints?
¹⁴ For God speaks again and again,
    though people do not recognize it.
¹⁵ He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people
    as they lie in their beds.
¹⁶ He whispers in their ears
    and terrifies them with warnings.
¹⁷ He makes them turn from doing wrong;
    he keeps them from pride.
¹⁸ He protects them from the grave,
    from crossing over the river of death.

¹⁹ “Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds,
    with ceaseless aching in their bones.
²⁰ They lose their appetite
    for even the most delicious food.
²¹ Their flesh wastes away,
    and their bones stick out.
²² They are at death’s door;
    the angels of death wait for them.

²³ “But if an angel from heaven appears—
    a special messenger to intercede for a person
    and declare that he is upright—
²⁴ he will be gracious and say,
‘Rescue him from the grave,
    for I have found a ransom for his life.’
²⁵ Then his body will become as healthy as a child’s,
    firm and youthful again.
²⁶ When he prays to God,
    he will be accepted.
And God will receive him with joy
    and restore him to good standing.
²⁷ He will declare to his friends,
‘I sinned and twisted the truth,
    but it was not worth it.^[a]
28 God rescued me from the grave,
    and now my life is filled with light.’

²⁹ “Yes, God does these things
    again and again for people.
³⁰ He rescues them from the grave
    so they may enjoy the light of life.
³¹ Mark this well, Job. Listen to me,
    for I have more to say.
³² But if you have anything to say, go ahead.
    Speak, for I am anxious to see you justified.
³³ But if not, then listen to me.
    Keep silent and I will teach you wisdom!”

² “Listen to me, you wise men.
    Pay attention, you who have knowledge.
³ Job said, ‘The ear tests the words it hears
    just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.’
⁴ So let us discern for ourselves what is right;
    let us learn together what is good.
⁵ For Job also said, ‘I am innocent,
    but God has taken away my rights.
⁶ I am innocent, but they call me a liar.
    My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned.’

⁷ “Tell me, has there ever been a man like Job,
    with his thirst for irreverent talk?
⁸ He chooses evil people as companions.
    He spends his time with wicked men.
⁹ He has even said, ‘Why waste time
    trying to please God?’

¹⁰ “Listen to me, you who have understanding.
    Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin!
    The Almighty can do no wrong.
¹¹ He repays people according to their deeds.
    He treats people as they deserve.
¹² Truly, God will not do wrong.
    The Almighty will not twist justice.
¹³ Did someone else put the world in his care?
    Who set the whole world in place?
¹⁴ If God were to take back his spirit
    and withdraw his breath,
¹⁵ all life would cease,
    and humanity would turn again to dust.

¹⁶ “Now listen to me if you are wise.
    Pay attention to what I say.
¹⁷ Could God govern if he hated justice?
    Are you going to condemn the almighty judge?
¹⁸ For he says to kings, ‘You are wicked,’
    and to nobles, ‘You are unjust.’
¹⁹ He doesn’t care how great a person may be,
    and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor.
    He made them all.
²⁰ In a moment they die.
    In the middle of the night they pass away;
    the mighty are removed without human hand.

²¹ “For God watches how people live;
    he sees everything they do.
²² No darkness is thick enough
    to hide the wicked from his eyes.
²³ We don’t set the time
    when we will come before God in judgment.
²⁴ He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone,
    and he sets up others in their place.
²⁵ He knows what they do,
    and in the night he overturns and destroys them.
²⁶ He strikes them down because they are wicked,
    doing it openly for all to see.
²⁷ For they turned away from following him.
    They have no respect for any of his ways.
²⁸ They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention.
    He hears the cries of the needy.
²⁹ But if he chooses to remain quiet,
    who can criticize him?
When he hides his face, no one can find him,
    whether an individual or a nation.
³⁰ He prevents the godless from ruling
    so they cannot be a snare to the people.

³¹ “Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned,
    but I will sin no more’?
³² Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done—tell me.
    If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?

³³ “Must God tailor his justice to your demands?
    But you have rejected him!
The choice is yours, not mine.
    Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.
³⁴ After all, bright people will tell me,
    and wise people will hear me say,
³⁵ ‘Job speaks out of ignorance;
    his words lack insight.’
³⁶ Job, you deserve the maximum penalty
    for the wicked way you have talked.
³⁷ For you have added rebellion to your sin;
    you show no respect,
    and you speak many angry words against God.”