Job 32

⁷though You know that I am not guilty, and there is no deliverance from Your hand?

⁹‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, with no iniquity in me.

²I will say to God: Do not condemn me! Let me know why You prosecute me.

¹⁵Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face.

⁴my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will not utter deceit.

⁵I will never say that you are right; I will maintain my integrity until I die.

¹“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?

²For what is the allotment of God from above, or the heritage from the Almighty on high?

²¹Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram),

⁵I will never say that you are right; I will maintain my integrity until I die.

²“As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice—the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—

²“Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I am more righteous than God.’

⁸Would you really annul My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?

²⁶“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger,

⁶if you are pure and upright, even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf and restore your righteous estate.

²⁵If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?”

⁵Is not your wickedness great? Are not your iniquities endless?

⁶For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing.

²“Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes harmony in the heights of heaven.

³Can His troops be numbered? On whom does His light not rise?

⁵We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

³⁴For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.

¹¹Indeed, I waited while you spoke; I listened to your reasoning; as you searched for words,

¹²I paid you full attention. But no one proved Job wrong; not one of you rebutted his arguments.

¹³He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.

¹⁹As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain.

²This kindled the anger of Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram. He burned with anger against Job for justifying himself rather than God,

¹⁰Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our side—men much older than your father.

¹Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers,

⁵Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

⁶In the same way, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.

²⁸Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”

²⁹“What have I done now?” said David. “Was it not just a question?”

³²You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the Lord.

³¹Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is attained along the path of righteousness.

¹²Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.

¹²Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!

⁶Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.

⁷They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

¹¹Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

¹²Who is the man who delights in life, who desires to see good days?

⁸Please inquire of past generations and consider the discoveries of their fathers.

⁹For we were born yesterday and know nothing; our days on earth are but a shadow.

³⁶Who has put wisdom in the heart or given understanding to the mind?

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

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

⁶For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁵Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

²⁶To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

²⁵At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

²⁶Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth.

²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

¹³Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.

²⁰He deprives the trusted of speech and takes away the discernment of elders.

⁷No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.

⁸None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

⁴⁸“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him?

⁴⁰In my judgment, however, she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

²⁵Now about virgins, I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.

¹⁷The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

⁹Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught the people knowledge; he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs.

¹⁰The Teacher searched to find delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth.

²³They waited for me as for rain and drank in my words like spring showers.

⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were older than he.

¹¹A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.

²¹Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my counsel.

³and he burned with anger against Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.

⁷They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or that which they so confidently assert.

²³This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.

²¹Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

²⁸He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.

⁹By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

²¹saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

³⁴And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together.

²²After my words, they spoke no more; my speech settled on them like dew.

⁴⁶No one was able to answer a word, and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further.

²⁶The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.

²³Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

²⁴Teach me, and I will be silent. Help me understand how I have erred.

²⁵How painful are honest words! But what does your argument prove?

¹⁹My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

⁵If only you would remain silent; for that would be your wisdom!

²⁸Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.

¹³Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.

¹²Behold, you are not right in this matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.

¹⁰Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; I too will declare what I know.’

³For you ask, ‘What does it profit me, and what benefit do I gain apart from sin?’

⁴I will reply to you and to your friends as well.

³My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:

²⁰For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

⁹If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.

¹⁴So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me.

¹⁵I came to the exiles at Tel-abib who dwelt by the River Kebar. And for seven days I sat where they sat and remained there among them, overwhelmed.

¹³If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

¹⁴For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.

¹⁷Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

³Bear with me while I speak; then, after I have spoken, you may go on mocking.

²“So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer, because of the turmoil within me.

¹⁹Can anyone indict me? If so, I will be silent and die.

⁶Listen, for I speak of noble things, and the opening of my lips will reveal right.

⁷For my mouth will speak the truth, and wickedness is detestable to my lips.

¹³Be silent, and I will speak. Then let come to me what may.

¹⁵You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

⁸Would you show Him partiality or argue in His defense?

²⁰Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”

¹⁷Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

¹⁹Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

¹⁰Surely He would rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality.

²They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.

³May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue.

⁵As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!

⁵A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

⁵If a man denounces his friends for a price, the eyes of his children will fail.

¹⁰Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.