Book of Job, Chapter 34

Feb 14, 2019 at 21:44 Twitter · Facebook

Job 34 NWT - New World Translation

Chapter 34 of Job—New World Translation (NWT)

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1. ¶ And E·liʹhu continued to answer and say:
2. ¶ “Listen, YOU wise ones, to my words;
     And YOU who know, give ear to me.
3. ¶ For the ear itself makes a test of words,¹
     Just as the palate tastes when eating.²
4. ¶ Judgment let us choose for ourselves;
     Let us know among ourselves what is good.
5. ¶ For Job has said, ‘I certainly am in the right,³
     But God^[a] himself has turned aside the judgment of me.⁴
6. ¶ Against my own judgment do I tell lies?
     My severe wound is incurable though there is no transgression.’⁵
7. ¶ What able-bodied man^[b] is like Job,⁶
     [Who] drinks up derision like water?⁷
8. ¶ And he is certainly on his way to companionship with practicers of what is hurtful
     And to walking with men of wickedness.⁸
9. ¶ For he has said, ‘An able-bodied man does not profit⁹
     By his taking pleasure in God.’^[c]
10. ¶ Therefore, YOU men of heart,¹⁰ listen to me.
      Far be it from the [true] God^[d] to act wickedly,¹¹
      And the Almighty to act unjustly!¹²
11. ¶ For [according to] the way earthling man^[e] acts he will reward¹³ him,
      And according to the path of man^[f] he will cause it to come upon him.
12. ¶ Yes, for a fact, God^[g] himself does not act wickedly,¹⁴
      And the Almighty himself does not pervert judgment.¹⁵
13. ¶ Who has assigned to him the earth,
      And who has appointed [to him] the productive land,^[h] even all of it?
14. ¶ If he sets his heart upon anyone,
      [If] that one’s spirit and breath he gathers to himself,¹⁶
15. ¶ All flesh will expire together,
      And earthling man^[i] himself will return to the very dust.¹⁷
16. ¶ So if [you have] understanding, do listen to this;
      Do give ear to the sound of my words.
17. ¶ Really will anyone hating justice control,¹⁸
      And if a powerful one is righteous will you pronounce [him] wicked?¹⁹
18. ¶ Shall one say^[j] to a king, ‘You are good for nothing’?^[k]
      To nobles, ‘You are wicked’?²⁰
19. ¶ [There is One] who has not shown partiality to princes
      And has not given more consideration to the noble²¹ one than to the lowly one,
      For all of them are the work of his hands.²²
20. ¶ In a moment they die,²³ even in the middle of the night;²⁴
      The people shake back and forth and pass away,
      And powerful ones depart by no hand.²⁵
21. ¶ For his eyes are upon the ways of man,^[l]26
      And all his steps he sees.
22. ¶ There is no darkness nor any deep shadow
      For those practicing what is hurtful to conceal themselves there.²⁷
23. ¶ For he sets no appointed time for any man
      To go to God^[m] in judgment.
24. ¶ He breaks powerful ones²⁸ without any investigation,
      And he makes others stand up instead of them.²⁹
25. ¶ Therefore he recognizes what their works are,³⁰
      And he does overthrow [them] at night, and they get crushed.³¹
26. ¶ As wicked ones he does slap them
      In the place of onlookers;³²
27. ¶ For the reason that they have turned aside from following him,³³
      And none of his ways have they considered,³⁴
28. ¶ So as to cause the outcry of the lowly one to come to him;
      And so he hears the outcry of the afflicted ones.³⁵
29. ¶ When he himself causes quietness, who, then, can condemn?
      And when he conceals [his] face,³⁶ who can behold him,
      Whether it is toward a nation³⁷ or toward a man,^[n] it being the same thing?
30. ¶ So that an apostate man may not reign,³⁸
      Nor there be snares³⁹ of the people.
31. ¶ For will anyone actually say to God himself,
      ‘I have borne, although I do not act corruptly;⁴⁰
32. ¶ Although I behold nothing, instruct me yourself;
      If any unrighteousness I have committed,
      I shall not do [it] again’?⁴¹
33. ¶ Will he make good for it from your standpoint because you do refuse [judgment],
      Because you yourself choose, and not I?
      Even what you well know, speak.
34. ¶ Men of heart⁴² themselves will say to me—
      Even a wise able-bodied man that is listening to me,
35. ¶ ‘Job himself speaks without knowledge,⁴³
      And his words are without [his] having insight.’
36. ¶ My father, let Job be tested^[o] out to the limit
      Over his replies among men of hurtfulness.⁴⁴
37. ¶ For on top of his sin he adds revolt;⁴⁵
      Among us he claps [his hands] and multiplies his sayings against the [true] God!”^[p]46

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FOOTNOTES

1. ^ “But God.” Heb., weʼElʹ.
2. ^ “Able-bodied man.” Heb., gheʹver.
3. ^ “God.” Heb., ʼElo·himʹ; LXX, “Jehovah.”
4. ^ “From the [true] God.” Heb., la·ʼElʹ; LXX, “Jehovah.” See App 1G.
5. ^ “Earthling man.” Heb., ʼa·dhamʹ.
6. ^ “Man.” Heb., ʼish.
7. ^ “God.” Heb., ʼEl; LXX, “Jehovah.”
8. ^ “Productive land.” Heb., te·velʹ; Lat., orʹbem, “circle,” that is, of the earth.
9. ^ “And earthling man.” Heb., weʼa·dhamʹ.
10. ^ Lit., “Shall there be a saying.” In Heb. this is a verb in the infinitive construct, indefinite as to time and impersonal.
11. ^ Lit., “king, ‘Belial!’?”
12. ^ Or, “each one.” Heb., ʼish, as in vs 23.
13. ^ “God.” Heb., ʼEl.
14. ^ Or, “an earthling man.” Heb., ʼa·dhamʹ.
15. ^ Or, “O that Job may be tested.”
16. ^ “Against the [true] God.” Heb., la·ʼElʹ. See App 1G.

REFERENCES

1. ^ Jb 12:11; Ac 17:11; Re 2:7
2. ^ Jb 6:30
3. ^ Jb 29:14; 33:9
4. ^ Jb 27:2
5. ^ Jb 9:17
6. ^ Jb 2:3; Eze 14:20; Jm 5:11
7. ^ Jb 15:16; Mt 5:39
8. ^ Pr 1:15; 4:14
9. ^ Jb 9:22; 35:3; Ml 3:14
10. ^ Jb 34:34
11. ^ Ge 18:25; 2Ch 19:7; Ps 92:15
12. ^ De 32:4; Ro 9:14; Heb 6:10
13. ^ 1Ch 28:9; Ps 62:12; Pr 24:12; Je 32:19; Eze 33:20; Mt 16:27; Ro 2:6; 2Co 5:10; Ga 6:7; 1Pe 1:17; Re 22:12
14. ^ Jb 8:3; Jm 1:13
15. ^ Ps 89:14; 97:2; 99:4; Ro 2:11
16. ^ Jb 27:3; Ps 104:29; Ec 12:7; Is 42:5; Ac 17:25
17. ^ Ge 3:19; Ps 146:4; Ec 3:20
18. ^ 2Sa 23:3
19. ^ Ge 18:25
20. ^ Ex 22:28; Pr 17:26; Ec 8:4; 10:20
21. ^ De 10:17; 2Ch 19:7; Ac 10:34; Ro 2:11; Ga 2:6; Eph 6:9
22. ^ Jb 31:15; Pr 22:2
23. ^ Ps 73:19; Ac 12:23
24. ^ Ex 12:29; Da 5:30; Lu 12:20
25. ^ 1Sa 25:38; Da 2:34
26. ^ Ge 6:5; 2Ch 16:9; Jb 31:4; Pr 5:21; 15:3; Je 16:17; 32:19; 1Pe 3:12
27. ^ Ps 139:12; Is 29:15; Je 23:24; Am 9:3; Heb 4:13
28. ^ Da 2:21
29. ^ Eze 21:27; Da 4:25
30. ^ Ho 7:2; 2Co 11:15; Ti 1:16
31. ^ 1Sa 4:17; Da 5:30
32. ^ Nu 12:10
33. ^ Ex 32:8; 1Sa 15:11
34. ^ Ps 28:5; Is 5:12
35. ^ Ex 22:23; Jb 35:9; Jm 5:4
36. ^ Ps 27:9; 30:7
37. ^ Ho 4:6
38. ^ Jb 13:16; 27:8
39. ^ 1Ki 12:28; 2Ki 21:9
40. ^ Da 9:7; Ro 3:23
41. ^ Pr 28:13
42. ^ Jb 34:10
43. ^ Jb 35:16; 38:2; 42:3
44. ^ Jm 5:11; 1Pe 1:7
45. ^ Jb 10:1; 19:6
46. ^ Jb 35:2

Read Job Chapter 34 in other Bible versions:

• Job Chapter 34 - ASV
• Job Chapter 34 - KJV
• Job Chapter 34 - NASB
• Job Chapter 34 - RSV