Job 36-37

Easy-to-Read Version

² “Be patient with me a little longer.
    God has a few more words that he wants me to say.
³ I will share my knowledge with everyone.
    I will prove that my Maker is right.
⁴ Job, I am telling the truth.
    I know what I am talking about.

⁵ “God is very powerful, but he does not hate people.
    He is very powerful, but he is also very wise.
⁶ He will not let evil people live.
    He brings justice to the poor.
⁷ He watches over those who live right.
    He lets them rule in high places.
⁸ So if people are punished,
    if they are tied with chains and ropes, they did something wrong.
⁹ And God will tell them what they did,
    that they sinned and were proud.
¹⁰ He will force them to listen to his warning.
    He will command them to stop sinning.
¹¹ If they serve and obey him, he will make them successful
    and they will live a happy life.
¹² But if they refuse to obey him, they will be destroyed.
    They will die like fools.

¹³ “People who don’t care about God are always bitter.
    Even when he punishes them, they refuse to pray to him for help.
¹⁴ They will die while they are still young,
    like the male prostitutes.
¹⁵ God saves those who suffer by using their suffering.
    He uses their troubles to speak in a way that makes them listen.

¹⁶ “In fact, God wants to help you out of your troubles.
    He wants to take away your burdens that are crushing you.
    He wants to load your table with plenty of food.
¹⁷ But you are full of this talk about guilt, judgment, and justice!
¹⁸ Job, don’t let your anger fill you with doubt about God.
    And don’t let the price of forgiveness turn you away.
¹⁹ Do you think your wealth will keep you out of trouble?
    Will your great strength be of any help to you now?
²⁰ Don’t be like those who wish darkness would come and hide them.
    They try to disappear into the night.^[a]
21 Job, don’t let your suffering cause you to choose evil.
    Be careful not to do wrong.

²² “Look, God’s power makes him great!
    He is the greatest teacher of all.
²³ No one can tell him what to do.
    No one can say, ‘God, you have done wrong.’
²⁴ Remember to praise him for what he has done,
    as many others have done in song.
²⁵ Everyone can see what he has done,
    even people in faraway countries.
²⁶ Yes, God is great, but we cannot understand his greatness.
    We don’t know how long he has lived.

²⁷ “God takes up water from the earth
    and changes it into mist and rain.
²⁸ So the clouds pour out the water,
    and the rain falls on many people.
²⁹ No one can understand how he spreads the clouds out
    or how the thunder rumbles from his home in the sky.
³⁰ Look, he spreads lightning all over the sky
    and covers the deepest part of the ocean.
³¹ He uses them to control the nations
    and to give them plenty of food.
³² He grabs the lightning with his hands,
    and commands it to strike where he wants.
³³ The thunder warns that a storm is coming.
    So even the cattle know it is near.

37 “The thunder and lightning frighten me;
    my heart pounds in my chest.
² Listen to God’s thundering voice!
    Listen to the sound coming from his mouth.
³ He sends his lightning to flash across the whole sky.
    It lights up the earth from one end to the other.
⁴ After the flashes of lightning you can hear his roaring voice.
    He thunders with his wonderful voice!
And while his voice thunders, the lightning flashes continue.
⁵ God’s thundering voice is amazing!
    He does great things that we cannot understand.
⁶ He says to the snow,
    ‘Fall on the earth.’
And he says to the rain,
    ‘Pour down on the earth.’
⁷ God does this to stop everyone’s work
    and to show the people he made what he can do.
⁸ The animals run into their dens and stay there.
⁹ Whirlwinds come from the south.
    The cold winds come from the north.
¹⁰ God’s breath makes ice
    and freezes even large bodies of water.
¹¹ He fills the clouds with water
    and scatters his lightning through them.
¹² He orders the clouds to be blown all around the earth.
    The clouds do whatever he commands.
¹³ He causes the clouds to punish people with floods
    or to water his earth and show his love.

¹⁴ “Job, stop for a minute and listen.
    Think about the wonderful things God does.
¹⁵ Do you know how God controls the clouds?
    Do you know how he makes his lightning flash?
¹⁶ Do you know how the clouds hang in the sky?
    This is just one of the amazing works of the one who knows everything.
¹⁷ All you know is that you sweat, your clothes stick to you,
    and all is still and quiet when the heat wave comes from the south.
¹⁸ Can you help God spread out the sky
    and make it shine like polished brass?

¹⁹ “Job, tell us what we should say to God!
    We cannot think of what to say because of our ignorance.^[b]
20 I would not tell God that I wanted to talk to him.
    That would be like asking to be destroyed.
²¹ A person cannot look at the sun.
    It is too bright as it shines in the sky after the wind blows the clouds away.
²² In the same way God’s golden glory shines from the Holy Mountain.^[c]
    He is surrounded by the brightest light.
²³ We have seen that God All-Powerful really is all powerful!
    But he is just and never treats anyone unfairly.^[d]
24 That is why people fear and respect him.
    He shows no respect for those who think they are wise.”