Chapter 35
Elihu Recalls God’s Justice
1
And Elihu went on to say:
𐤀𐤋𐤉𐤄𐤅 𐤅𐤉𐤏𐤍 𐤅𐤉𐤀𐤌𐤓
אֱלִיה֗וּ וַיַּ֥עַן וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ ’ĕ·lî·hū way·ya·‘an way·yō·mar — WLC · 1
2
“Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I am more righteous than God.’
𐤇𐤔𐤁𐤕 𐤄𐤆𐤀𐤕 𐤋𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤈 𐤀𐤌𐤓𐤕 𐤑𐤃𐤒𐤉 𐤌𐤀𐤋
חָשַׁ֣בְתָּ הֲ֭זֹאת לְמִשְׁפָּ֑ט אָ֝מַ֗רְתָּ צִדְקִ֥י מֵאֵֽל׃ ḥā·šaḇ·tā hă·zōṯ lə·miš·pāṭ ’ā·mar·tā ṣiḏ·qî mê·’êl — WLC · 2
3
For you ask, ‘What does it profit me, and what benefit do I gain apart from sin?’
𐤊𐤉 𐤕𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤌𐤄 𐤉𐤎𐤊𐤍 𐤋𐤊 𐤌𐤄 𐤀𐤏𐤉𐤋 𐤌𐤇𐤈𐤀𐤕𐤉
כִּֽי־ תֹ֭אמַר מַה־ יִּסְכָּן־ לָ֑ךְ מָֽה־ אֹ֝עִ֗יל מֵֽחַטָּאתִֽי׃ kî- ṯō·mar mah- yis·kān- lāḵ māh- ’ō·‘îl mê·ḥaṭ·ṭā·ṯî — WLC · 3
4
I will reply to you and to your friends as well.
𐤀𐤍𐤉 𐤀𐤔𐤉𐤁𐤊 𐤌𐤋𐤉𐤍 𐤅𐤀𐤕 𐤓𐤏𐤉𐤊 𐤏𐤌𐤊
אֲ֭נִי אֲשִֽׁיבְךָ֣ מִלִּ֑ין וְֽאֶת־ רֵעֶ֥יךָ עִמָּֽךְ׃ ’ă·nî ’ă·šî·ḇə·ḵā mil·lîn wə·’eṯ- rê·‘e·ḵā ‘im·māḵ — WLC · 4
5
Look to the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds high above you.
𐤄𐤁𐤈 𐤔𐤌𐤉𐤌 𐤅𐤓𐤀𐤄 𐤅𐤔𐤅𐤓 𐤔𐤇𐤒𐤉𐤌 𐤂𐤁𐤄𐤅 𐤌𐤌𐤊
הַבֵּ֣ט שָׁמַ֣יִם וּרְאֵ֑ה וְשׁ֥וּר שְׁ֝חָקִ֗ים גָּבְה֥וּ מִמֶּֽךָּ׃ hab·bêṭ šā·ma·yim ū·rə·’êh wə·šūr šə·ḥā·qîm gā·ḇə·hū mim·me·kā — WLC · 5
6
If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? If you multiply your transgressions, what do you do to Him?
𐤀𐤌 𐤇𐤈𐤀𐤕 𐤌𐤄 𐤕𐤐𐤏𐤋 𐤁𐤅 𐤅𐤓𐤁𐤅 𐤐𐤔𐤏𐤉𐤊 𐤌𐤄 𐤕𐤏𐤔𐤄 𐤋𐤅
אִם־ חָ֭טָאתָ מַה־ תִּפְעָל־ בּ֑וֹ וְרַבּ֥וּ פְ֝שָׁעֶ֗יךָ מַה־ תַּעֲשֶׂה־ לּֽוֹ׃ ’im- ḥā·ṭā·ṯā mah- tip̄·‘āl- bōw wə·rab·bū p̄ə·šā·‘e·ḵā mah- ta·‘ă·śeh- lōw — WLC · 6
7
If you are righteous, what do you give Him, or what does He receive from your hand?
𐤀𐤌 𐤑𐤃𐤒𐤕 𐤌𐤄 𐤕𐤕𐤍 𐤋𐤅 𐤀𐤅 𐤌𐤄 𐤉𐤒𐤇 𐤌𐤉𐤃𐤊
אִם־ צָ֭דַקְתָּ מַה־ תִּתֶּן־ ל֑וֹ א֥וֹ מַה־ יִקָּֽח׃ מִיָּדְךָ֥ ’im- ṣā·ḏaq·tā mah- tit·ten- lōw ’ōw mah- yiq·qāḥ mî·yā·ḏə·ḵā — WLC · 7
8
Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only a son of man.
𐤓𐤔𐤏𐤊 𐤋𐤀𐤉𐤔 𐤊𐤌𐤅𐤊 𐤑𐤃𐤒𐤕𐤊 𐤅𐤋𐤁𐤍 𐤀𐤃𐤌
רִשְׁעֶ֑ךָ לְאִישׁ־ כָּמ֥וֹךָ צִדְקָתֶֽךָ׃ וּלְבֶן־ אָ֝דָ֗ם riš·‘e·ḵā lə·’îš- kā·mō·w·ḵā ṣiḏ·qā·ṯe·ḵā ū·lə·ḇen- ’ā·ḏām — WLC · 8
9
Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.
𐤉𐤆𐤏𐤉𐤒𐤅 𐤌𐤓𐤁 𐤏𐤔𐤅𐤒𐤉𐤌 𐤉𐤔𐤅𐤏𐤅 𐤌𐤆𐤓𐤅𐤏 𐤓𐤁𐤉𐤌
יַזְעִ֑יקוּ מֵ֭רֹב עֲשׁוּקִ֣ים יְשַׁוְּע֖וּ מִזְּר֣וֹעַ רַבִּֽים׃ yaz·‘î·qū mê·rōḇ ‘ă·šū·qîm yə·šaw·wə·‘ū miz·zə·rō·w·a‘ rab·bîm — WLC · 9
10
But no one asks, ‘Where [is] God my Maker, who gives us songs in the night,
𐤅𐤋𐤀 𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤀𐤉𐤄 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄 𐤏𐤔𐤉 𐤍𐤕𐤍 𐤆𐤌𐤓𐤅𐤕 𐤁𐤋𐤉𐤋𐤄
וְֽלֹא־ אָמַ֗ר אַ֭יֵּה אֱל֣וֹהַּ עֹשָׂ֑י נֹתֵ֖ן זְמִר֣וֹת בַּלָּֽיְלָה׃ wə·lō- ’ā·mar ’ay·yêh ’ĕ·lō·w·ah ‘ō·śāy nō·ṯên zə·mi·rō·wṯ bal·lā·yə·lāh — WLC · 10
11
who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
𐤌𐤋𐤐𐤍𐤅 𐤌𐤁𐤄𐤌𐤅𐤕 𐤀𐤓𐤑 𐤉𐤇𐤊𐤌𐤍𐤅 𐤅𐤌𐤏𐤅𐤐 𐤄𐤔𐤌𐤉𐤌
מַ֭לְּפֵנוּ מִבַּהֲמ֣וֹת אָ֑רֶץ יְחַכְּמֵֽנוּ׃ וּמֵע֖וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם mal·lə·p̄ê·nū mib·ba·hă·mō·wṯ ’ā·reṣ yə·ḥak·kə·mê·nū ū·mê·‘ō·wp̄ haš·šā·ma·yim — WLC · 11
12
There they cry out, but He does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.
𐤔𐤌 𐤉𐤑𐤏𐤒𐤅 𐤅𐤋𐤀 𐤉𐤏𐤍𐤄 𐤌𐤐𐤍𐤉 𐤂𐤀𐤅𐤍 𐤓𐤏𐤉𐤌
שָׁ֣ם יִ֭צְעֲקוּ וְלֹ֣א יַעֲנֶ֑ה מִ֝פְּנֵ֗י גְּא֣וֹן רָעִֽים׃ šām yiṣ·‘ă·qū wə·lō ya·‘ă·neh mip·pə·nê gə·’ō·wn rā·‘îm — WLC · 12
13
Surely God does not listen to empty pleas, and the Almighty does not take note of it.
𐤀𐤊 𐤀𐤋 𐤋𐤀 𐤉𐤔𐤌𐤏 𐤔𐤅𐤀 𐤅𐤔𐤃𐤉 𐤋𐤀 𐤉𐤔𐤅𐤓𐤍𐤄
אַךְ־ אֵ֑ל לֹא־ יִשְׁמַ֥ע׀ שָׁ֭וְא וְ֝שַׁדַּ֗י לֹ֣א יְשׁוּרֶֽנָּה׃ ’a·ḵō·šā- ’êl lō- yiš·ma‘ šā·wəʾ wə·šad·day lō yə·šū·ren·nāh — WLC · 13
14
How much less, then, when you say that you do not see Him, that your case is before Him and you must wait for Him,
𐤀𐤐 𐤊𐤉 𐤕𐤀𐤌𐤓 𐤋𐤀 𐤕𐤔𐤅𐤓𐤍𐤅 𐤃𐤉𐤍 𐤋𐤐𐤍𐤉𐤅 𐤅𐤕𐤇𐤅𐤋𐤋 𐤋𐤅
אַ֣ף כִּֽי־ תֹ֭אמַר לֹ֣א תְשׁוּרֶ֑נּוּ דִּ֥ין לְ֝פָנָ֗יו וּתְח֥וֹלֵֽל לֽוֹ׃ ’ap̄ kî- ṯō·mar lō ṯə·šū·ren·nū dîn lə·p̄ā·nāw ū·ṯə·ḥō·w·lêl lōw — WLC · 14
15
and further, that [in] His anger vvv He has not punished [or] taken much notice… of folly!
𐤅𐤏𐤕𐤄 𐤊𐤉 𐤀𐤐𐤅 𐤀𐤉𐤍 𐤐𐤒𐤃 𐤅𐤋𐤀 𐤉𐤃𐤏 𐤌𐤀𐤃 𐤁𐤐𐤔
וְעַתָּ֗ה כִּי־ אַפּ֑וֹ אַ֭יִן פָּקַ֣ד וְלֹֽא־ יָדַ֖ע מְאֹֽד׃ בַּפַּ֣שׁ wə·‘at·tāh kî- ’ap·pōw ’a·yin pā·qaḏ wə·lō- yā·ḏa‘ mə·’ōḏ bap·paš — WLC · 15
16
So Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge.”
𐤅𐤀𐤉𐤅𐤁 𐤉𐤐𐤑𐤄 𐤐𐤉𐤄𐤅 𐤄𐤁𐤋 𐤉𐤊𐤁𐤓𐤐 𐤌𐤋𐤉𐤍 𐤁𐤁𐤋𐤉 𐤃𐤏𐤕
וְ֭אִיּוֹב יִפְצֶה־ פִּ֑יהוּ הֶ֣בֶל יַכְבִּֽר׃פ מִלִּ֥ין בִּבְלִי־ דַ֝֗עַת wə·’î·yō·wḇ yip̄·ṣeh- pî·hū he·ḇel yaḵ·bir mil·lîn biḇ·lî- ḏa·‘aṯ — WLC · 16