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NASB Bible

Job 34

Elihu Vindicates God's Justice

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Then Elihu continued and said,

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"Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who know.

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"For  athe ear tests words As the palate tastes food.

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"Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good.

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"For Job has said, ` aI am righteous, But  bGod has taken away my right;

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 1Should I lie concerning my right? My  2 awound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

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"What man is like Job, Who  adrinks up derision like water,

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Who goes  ain company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men?

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"For he has said, ` aIt profits a man nothing When he  1is pleased with God.'

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"Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to  ado wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong.

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"For He pays a man according to  ahis work, And makes  1him find it according to his way.

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"Surely,  aGod will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice.

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"Who  agave Him authority over the earth? And who  bhas laid on Him the whole world?

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"If He should  1determine to do so, If He should  agather to Himself His spirit and His breath,

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All  aflesh would perish together, And man would  breturn to dust.

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"But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words.

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"Shall  aone who hates justice rule? And  bwill you condemn the righteous mighty One,

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Who says to a king, `Worthless one,' To nobles, `Wicked ones';

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Who shows no  apartiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the  bwork of His hands?

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"In a moment they die, and  aat midnight People are shaken and pass away, And  bthe mighty are taken away without a hand.

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"For  aHis eyes are upon the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps.

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"There is  ano darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

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"For He does not  aneed to consider a man further, That he should go before God in judgment.

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"He breaks in pieces  amighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place.

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"Therefore He  aknows their works, And  bHe overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed.

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"He  astrikes them like the wicked  1In a public place,

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Because they  aturned aside from following Him, And  bhad no regard for any of His ways;

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So that they caused  athe cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He might  bhear the cry of the afflicted--

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When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him, That is, in regard to both nation and man?--

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So that  agodless men would not rule Nor be snares of the people.

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"For has anyone said to God, `I have borne chastisement; I will not offend anymore;

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Teach me what I do not see; If I have  adone iniquity, I will not do it again'?

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"Shall He  arecompense on your terms, because you have rejected it? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know.

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"Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me,

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`Job  aspeaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom.

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`Job ought to be tried  1to the limit, Because he answers  alike wicked men.

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`For he adds  arebellion to his sin; He  bclaps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.' "



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(Produced: Sat Dec 22 11:23:23 2007)

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