Job 32:1-14 - Compare All Versions

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So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him. Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused. So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: “I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know. I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’ But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right. “Therefore I say: Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know. I waited while you spoke, I listened to your reasoning; while you were searching for words, I gave you my full attention. But not one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments. Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; let God, not a man, refute him.’ But Job has not marshaled his words against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments.

So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he burned with anger. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’ But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right. Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion.’ “Behold, I waited for your words, I listened for your wise sayings, while you searched out what to say. I gave you my attention, and, behold, there was none among you who refuted Job or who answered his words. Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not a man.’ He has not directed his words against me, and I will not answer him with your speeches.

Job’s three friends refused to reply further to him because he kept insisting on his innocence. Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him. He was also angry with Job’s three friends, for they made God appear to be wrong by their inability to answer Job’s arguments. Elihu had waited for the others to speak to Job because they were older than he. But when he saw that they had no further reply, he spoke out angrily. Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said, “I am young and you are old, so I held back from telling you what I think. I thought, ‘Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.’ But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent. Sometimes the elders are not wise. Sometimes the aged do not understand justice. So listen to me, and let me tell you what I think. “I have waited all this time, listening very carefully to your arguments, listening to you grope for words. I have listened, but not one of you has refuted Job or answered his arguments. And don’t tell me, ‘He is too wise for us. Only God can convince him.’ If Job had been arguing with me, I would not answer with your kind of logic!

So these three men quit answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.  Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite  from the family of Ram became angry. He was angry at Job because he had justified  himself rather than God. He was also angry at Job’s three friends because they had failed to refute him and yet had condemned him.  Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were all older than he. But when he saw that the three men could not answer Job, he became angry. So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite replied: I am young in years, while you are old; therefore I was timid and afraid to tell  you what I know. I thought that age should speak and maturity should teach wisdom. But it is the spirit in a person— the breath  from the Almighty— that gives anyone understanding. It is not only the old who are wise or the elderly who understand how to judge. Therefore I say, “Listen to me. I too will declare what I know.” Look, I waited for your conclusions; I listened to your insights as you sought for words. I paid close attention to you. Yet no one proved Job wrong; not one of you refuted his arguments. So do not claim, “We have found wisdom; let God deal with him, not man.” But Job has not directed his argument to me, and I will not respond to him with your arguments.

So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; Wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. I said, Days should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: And the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: Neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion. Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, Whilst ye searched out what to say. Yea, I attended unto you, And, behold, there was none of you that convinced Job, Or that answered his words: Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom: God thrusteth him down, not man. Now he hath not directed his words against me: Neither will I answer him with your speeches.

So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused. So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are very old; Therefore I was afraid, And dared not declare my opinion to you. I said, ‘Age should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’ But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice. “Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me, I also will declare my opinion.’ Indeed I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say. I paid close attention to you; And surely not one of you convinced Job, Or answered his words— Lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom’; God will vanquish him, not man. Now he has not directed his words against me; So I will not answer him with your words.

Job’s three friends now fell silent. They were talked out, stymied because Job wouldn’t budge an inch—wouldn’t admit to an ounce of guilt. Then Elihu lost his temper. (Elihu was the son of Barakel the Buzite from the clan of Ram.) He blazed out in anger against Job for pitting his righteousness against God’s. He was also angry with the three friends because they had neither come up with an answer nor proved Job wrong. Elihu had waited with Job while they spoke because they were all older than he. But when he saw that the three other men had exhausted their arguments, he exploded with pent-up anger. This is what Elihu, son of Barakel the Buzite, said: “I’m a young man, and you are all old and experienced. That’s why I kept quiet and held back from joining the discussion. I kept thinking, ‘Experience will tell. The longer you live, the wiser you become.’ But I see I was wrong—it’s God’s Spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human insight possible. The experts have no corner on wisdom; getting old doesn’t guarantee good sense. So I’ve decided to speak up. Listen well! I’m going to tell you exactly what I think. “I hung on your words while you spoke, listened carefully to your arguments. While you searched for the right words, I was all ears. And now what have you proved? Nothing. Nothing you say has even touched Job. And don’t excuse yourselves by saying, ‘We’ve done our best. Now it’s up to God to talk sense into him.’ Job has yet to contend with me. And rest assured, I won’t be using your arguments!

Then these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned against Job; his anger burned because he justified himself before God. And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, yet they had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger burned. So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think. “I thought age should speak, And increased years should teach wisdom. “But it is a spirit that is in mankind, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. “The abundant in years may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice. “So I say, ‘Listen to me, I too will tell what I think.’ ¶“Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your skillful speech, While you pondered what to say. “I also paid close attention to you; But indeed, there was no one who refuted Job, Not one of you who answered his words. “So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom: God will defeat him, not man.’ “But he has not presented his words against me, Nor will I reply to him with your arguments.

So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes [and could not be persuaded otherwise by them]. But Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became indignant. His indignation was kindled and burned and he became upset with Job because he justified himself rather than God [and even expressed doubts about God’s character]. Elihu’s anger burned against Job’s three friends because they had found no answer [and were unable to determine Job’s error], and yet they had condemned Job and declared him to be in the wrong [and responsible for his own afflictions]. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because the others were years older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men, he burned with anger. Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite said, “I am young, and you are aged; For that reason I was anxious and dared not tell you what I think. “I thought age should speak, And a multitude of years should teach wisdom. “But there is [a vital force and] a spirit [of intelligence] in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. [Prov 2:6] “Those [who are] abundant in years may not [always] be wise, Nor may the elders [always] understand justice. “Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; I also will give you my opinion [about Job’s situation] and tell you plainly what I think.’ ¶“You see, I waited for your words, I listened to your [wise] reasons, While you pondered and searched out what to say. “I even paid close attention to [what] you [said], Indeed, not one of you convinced Job [nor could you refute him], Not one of you supplied [satisfactory] answers to his words. “Beware if you say, ‘We have found wisdom; God thrusts Job down [justly], not man [for God alone is dealing with him].’ “Now Job has not directed his words against me [therefore I have no reason to be offended], Nor will I answer him with arguments like yours. [I speak for truth, not for revenge.]

So these three men refused to answer Job further, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry. He was angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. With Job’s three friends he was also angry, because they could not find an answer, and so declared Job guilty. Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job, because the others were older than he was. But when Elihu saw that the three men had no further reply, he became very angry. So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up: “I am young, but you are elderly; that is why I was fearful, and afraid to explain to you what I know. I said to myself, ‘Age should speak, and length of years should make wisdom known.’ But it is a spirit in people, the breath of the Almighty, that makes them understand. It is not the aged who are wise, nor old men who understand what is right. Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me. I, even I, will explain what I know.’ Look, I waited for you to speak; I listened closely to your wise thoughts,while you were searching for words. Now I was paying you close attention, yet there was no one proving Job wrong, not one of you was answering his statements! So do not say, ‘We have found wisdom! God will refute him, not man!’ Job has not directed his words to me, and so I will not reply to him with your arguments.