Elihu Contradicts Job

² Now, I open my mouth;
My tongue speaks in my mouth.

³ My words come from my upright heart;
My lips utter pure knowledge.

⁴ The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

⁵ If you can answer me,
Set your words in order before me;
Take your stand.

⁶ Truly I am as your spokesman^[a] before God;
I also have been formed out of clay.

⁷ Surely no fear of me will terrify you,
Nor will my hand be heavy on you.

⁸ “Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the sound of your words, saying,

⁹ ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me.

¹⁰ Yet He finds occasions against me,
He counts me as His enemy;

¹¹ He puts my feet in the stocks,
He watches all my paths.’

¹² “Look, in this you are not righteous.
I will answer you,
For God is greater than man.

¹³ Why do you contend with Him?
For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.

¹⁴ For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.

¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,

¹⁶ Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.

¹⁷ In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,

¹⁸ He keeps back his soul from the Pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.

¹⁹ “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed,
And with strong pain in many of his bones,

²⁰ So that his life abhors bread,
And his soul succulent food.

²¹ His flesh wastes away from sight,
And his bones stick out which once were not seen.

²² Yes, his soul draws near the Pit,
And his life to the executioners.

²³ “If there is a messenger for him,
A mediator, one among a thousand,
To show man His uprightness,

²⁴ Then He is gracious to him, and says,

‘ Deliver him from going down to the Pit;
I have found a ransom’;

²⁵ His flesh shall be young like a child’s,
He shall return to the days of his youth.

²⁶ He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him,
He shall see His face with joy,
For He restores to man His righteousness.

²⁷ Then he looks at men and says,

‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right,
And it did not profit me.’

²⁸ He will redeem his^[b] soul from going down to the Pit,
And his^[c] life shall see the light.

²⁹ “ Behold, God works all these things,
Twice, in fact, three times with a man,

³⁰ To bring back his soul from the Pit,
That he may be enlightened with the light of life.

³¹ “Give ear, Job, listen to me;
Hold your peace, and I will speak.

³² If you have anything to say, answer me;
Speak, for I desire to justify you.

³³ If not, listen to me;
Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”