6-10 This is what Elihu, son of Barakel the Buzite, said:

“I’m a young man,
    and you are all old and experienced.
That’s why I kept quiet
    and held back from joining the discussion.
I kept thinking, ‘Experience will tell.
    The longer you live, the wiser you become.’
But I see I was wrong—it’s God’s Spirit in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human insight possible.
The experts have no corner on wisdom;
    getting old doesn’t guarantee good sense.
So I’ve decided to speak up. Listen well!
    I’m going to tell you exactly what I think.

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I thought, ‘Age should speak;
    advanced years should teach wisdom.’(A)
But it is the spirit[a](B) in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty,(C) that gives them understanding.(D)
It is not only the old[b] who are wise,(E)
    not only the aged(F) who understand what is right.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Job 32:8 Or Spirit; also in verse 18
  2. Job 32:9 Or many; or great