וַיַּעַן אֱלִיהוּא וַיֹּאמַר׃

Elihu answered and said:

שִׁמְעוּ חֲכָמִים מִלָּי וְיֹדְעִים הַאֲזִינוּ לִי

Hear my words, wise ones, and listen to me, knowledgeable ones. Listen to my next speech.

כִּי־אֹזֶן מִלִּין תִּבְחָן וְחֵךְ יִטְעַם לֶאֱכֹל

For the ear evaluates, tests, the quality of words, and likewise a palate tastes and discerns the quality of food.

מִשְׁפָּט נִבְחֲרָה־לָּנוּ נֵדְעָה בֵינֵינוּ מַה־טּוֹב

Let us so choose justice for ourselves. We can examine the matters at hand objectively and understand them properly. Let it become known between us what is good. Although Elihu presents himself as a neutral party rather than taking one side or the other in the debate, it will become apparent that he does take a specific stance.

כִּי־אָמַר אִיּוֹב צָדַקְתִּי וְאֵל הֵסִיר מִשְׁפָּטִי

Elihu first summarizes the claim until this point. For Job said: I am righteous, but God has taken fair judgment away from me, as He has not judged me correctly.

עַל־מִשְׁפָּטִי אֲכַזֵּב אָנוּשׁ חִצִּי בְלִי־פָשַׁע

I will reject my judgment as false; my arrow is fatal, it has caused a grave wound, though I am without transgression.

מִי־גֶבֶר כְּאִיּוֹב יִשְׁתֶּה־לַּעַג כַּמָּיִם

Who is a man like Job, in turning from evil, and yet he is someone who drinks scoffing, whose mouth is full of mockery and whose criticism of God flows out of his mouth like water,

וְאָרַח לְחֶבְרָה עִם־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן וְלָלֶכֶת עִם־אַנְשֵׁי־רֶשַׁע

who keeps company with performers of injustice and walks with men of wickedness?

כִּי־אָמַר לֹא יִסְכָּן גָּבֶר בִּרְצֹתוֹ עִם־אֱלֹהִים

For he said: It is of no use to man that he wishes to be with God, that he wishes to conduct himself in accord with God. Job’s claim is that one derives no benefit from performing the will of God and following Him wholeheartedly.

לָכֵן אַנְשֵׁי לֵבָב שִׁמְעוּ לִי חָלִלָה לָאֵל מֵרֶשַׁע וְשַׁדַּי מֵעָוֶל

Therefore, men of heart [levav], hear me: First, I must say that far be it from God to act with wickedness, and second, far be it from the Almighty to do injustice. God does not perform evil. In many places in the Bible, the heart [lev] is the seat of understanding rather than emotion.

כִּי פֹעַל אָדָם יְשַׁלֶּם־לוֹ וּכְאֹרַח אִישׁ יַמְצִאֶנּוּ

For He repays a person for his action, and according to the conduct of a man He will provide for him.

אַף־אָמְנָם אֵל לֹא־יַרְשִׁיעַ וְשַׁדַּי לֹא־יְעַוֵּת מִשְׁפָּט

For indeed, truthfully, God will not be wicked, and the Almighty will not distort justice.

מִי־פָקַד עָלָיו אָרְצָה וּמִי שָׂם תֵּבֵל כֻּלָּהּ

Who commanded Him about the earth? Who commanded Him to create the world? Since He does not answer to anyone, it is unreasonable to suggest that He requires a pretext to harass you. And who set in place, created, the entire world? Since He is the source of everything, He would not perform wicked acts.

אִם יָשִׂים אֵלָיו לִבּוֹ רוּחוֹ וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ אֵלָיו יֶאֱסֹף

If He only directs His heart to him, and wishes to do evil to man, He would not have to accuse him falsely; his spirit and his soul He will simply gather to Him, killing him immediately.

יִגְוַע כָּל־בָּשָׂר יָחַד וְאָדָם עַל־עָפָר יָשׁוּב

All flesh will perish together, and humanity will return to dust.

וְאִם־בִּינָה שִׁמְעָה־זֹאת הַאֲזִינָה לְקוֹל מִלָּי

In his second speech, Elihu started by addressing everyone present. Now Elihu turns to Job: If there is understanding in you, hear this; heed the sound of my words.

הַאַף שׂוֹנֵא מִשְׁפָּט יַחֲבוֹשׁ וְאִם צַדִּיק כַּבִּיר תַּרְשִׁיעַ

Should one who hates justice be the one to govern the world? Will you condemn He who is greatly righteous?

הַאֲמֹר לְמֶלֶךְ בְּלִיָּעַל רָשָׁע אֶל נְדִיבִים

Can it be said of a king, as you do: Lowlife, that he is a lowly person who cannot possibly rise from his current state? Or can one declare to nobles: You are wicked?

אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נָשָׂא פְּנֵי שָׂרִים וְלֹא נִכַּר־שׁוֹעַ לִפְנֵי־דָל כִּי־מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו כֻּלָּם

For you know that it is He who does not show favor in judgment to princes and does not prefer the wealthy, those in positions of power and those who are lofty in status, over the poor, as they are all His handiwork, the princes, influential people, and the destitute together.

רֶגַע יָמֻתוּ וחֲצוֹת לָיְלָה יְגֹעֲשׁוּ עָם וְיַעֲבֹרוּ וְיָסִירוּ אַבִּיר לֹא בְיָד

For if He so wishes, in a moment they will die, and at midnight, on their beds in the dark, the people who honored the powerful and trusted in their strength will shudder, and they, the powerful ones, will pass on; the mighty will be removed without effort.

כִּי־עֵינָיו עַל־דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ וְכָל־צְעָדָיו יִרְאֶה

For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and all his steps He sees.

אֵין־חֹשֶׁךְ וְאֵין צַלְמָוֶת לְהִסָּתֶר שָׁם פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן

There is no darkness for God, and there is no shadow of death where the performers of injustice can hide. Evildoers have nowhere to escape from Him.

כִּי לֹא עַל־אִישׁ יָשִׂים עוֹד לַהֲלֹךְ אֶל־אֵל בַּמִּשְׁפָּט

For on no man does He place overmuch blame. He does not accuse an individual of committing more sins than he has performed, giving cause to the person to go and complain before God in judgment.

יָרֹעַ כַּבִּירִים לֹא־חֵקֶר וַיַּעֲמֵד אֲחֵרִים תַּחְתָּם

He shatters the powerful without number. God has the power to crush the strongest of men in great numbers (9:10), and after their collapse, He sets others in their place.

לָכֵן יַכִּיר מַעְבָּדֵיהֶם וְהָפַךְ לַיְלָה וְיִדַּכָּאוּ

Therefore, as everything is revealed before God, He knows their, men’s, activities, and He turns it, their lives’ light, into night, and they are crushed and broken.

תַּחַת רְשָׁעִים סְפָקָם בִּמְקוֹם רֹאִים

He strikes them without delay in the place of the wicked, in a place with onlookers,

אֲשֶׁר עַל־כֵּן סָרוּ מֵאַחֲרָיו וְכָל־דְּרָכָיו לֹא הִשְׂכִּילוּ

because they strayed from following Him, and they did not appreciate or learn from any of His ways,

לְהָבִיא עָלָיו צַעֲקַת־דָּל וְצַעֲקַת עֲנִיִּים יִשְׁמָע

bringing the cry of the impoverished before Him. The deviation of powerful individuals from the path of God caused the poor to cry to Him, and He hears the cry of the poor.

וְהוּא יַשְׁקִט וּמִי יַרְשִׁעַ וְיַסְתֵּר פָּנִים וּמִי יְשׁוּרֶנּוּ וְעַל־גּוֹי וְעַל־אָדָם יָחַד

He quiets, brings calm, to certain people, and then who can do harm? No one can harm them. When He conceals His face, who can see Him? To a nation, or a king, and to an individual alike. This is the way that God acts toward a nation, or a king, as well as toward an individual.

מִמְּלֹךְ אָדָם חָנֵף מִמֹּקְשֵׁי עָם

He, God, prevents a hypocritical person from reigning, and likewise He refrains from setting hindrances for the people, which would harm them.

כִּי אֶל־אֵל הֶאָמַר נָשָׂאתִי לֹא אֶחְבֹּל

For to God one should say: I will bear it; I will not cause harm. It is proper for one to say to God: I have received my punishment and will perform no more destructive acts.

בִּלְעֲדֵי אֶחֱזֶה אַתָּה הֹרֵנִי אִם־עָוֶל פָּעַלְתִּי לֹא אֹסִיף

That which I cannot view of my own accord, teach me; and then if I have performed injustice, I will accept upon myself not to continue.

הֲמֵעִמְּךָ יְשַׁלְּמֶנָּה כִּי־מָאַסְתָּ כִּי־אַתָּה תִבְחַר וְלֹא־אָנִי וּמַה־יָּדַעְתָּ דַבֵּר

Is it with you, through consultation with you, Job, that He will repay good or evil? For you rejected the suffering that God has brought upon you. Will it be you who chooses and not I? Do you imagine that you can choose the recompense that you deserve rather than God? What do you know that motivates you to speak?

אַנְשֵׁי לֵבָב יֹאמְרוּ לִי וְגֶבֶר חָכָם שֹׁמֵעַ לִי

Men of heart say to me, and a wise man hears and agrees with me:

אִיּוֹב לֹא־בְדַעַת יְדַבֵּר וּדְבָרָיו לֹא בְהַשְׂכֵּיל

Job speaks unwisely in his demand for judgment with God, and his words are spoken without intelligence.

אָבִי יִבָּחֵן אִיּוֹב עַד־נֶצַח עַל תְּשֻׁבֹת בּאַנְשֵׁי־אָוֶן

My wish is that Job should be tried until eternity, through all kinds of tests, for answers regarding men of injustice, or because he answers together with the wicked with whom he keeps company.

כִּי יֹסִיף עַל־חַטָּאתוֹ פֶשַׁע בֵּינֵינוּ יִסְפּוֹק וְיֶרֶב אֲמָרָיו לָאֵל

For with his piercing statements, he, Job, adds transgression to his sin, he strikes with his words, or he speaks too much among us, and furthermore, not only does he talk in this manner to us, but he proliferates his harsh sayings against God.