Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)

1 But these three men ceased to answer Job, because he considered himself justified.

2 And Eliu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram, was angry and indignant. But he was angry against Job because he described himself to be just in the presence of God.

3 Moreover, he was indignant with his friends because they had not found a reasonable response, except in so far as they condemned Job.

4 Therefore, Eliu waited while Job was talking, for these were his elders that were speaking.

5 But when he saw that these three were not able to respond, he was extremely angry.

6 And so Eliu the son of Barachel the Buzite responded by saying: I am younger in years, and you are more ancient; therefore, I kept my head low, for I was afraid to reveal to you my opinion.

7 For I had hoped that greater age would speak, and that a multitude of years would teach wisdom.

8 But I see now that there is only breath in men, and that it is the inspiration of the Almighty that gives understanding.

9 The wise are not the aged, nor do the elders understand judgment.

10 Therefore, I will speak. Listen to me, and so I will show you my wisdom.

11 For I have endured your words; I have paid attention to your deliberations, while you were being argumentative with words.

12 And as long as I supposed that you were saying something, I considered; but now I see that there is none of you that is able to argue with Job and to respond to his words.

13 So that you will not say, “We have found wisdom,” God has thrown him down, not man.

14 He has said nothing to me, and I will not respond to him according to your words.

15 Then they were filled with dread, and so they no longer responded, and they withdrew from their speechmaking.

16 Therefore, because I have waited and they have not been speaking, for they stood firm and did not respond at all,

17 I also will answer in my turn, and I will reveal my knowledge.

18 For I am full of words, and the feeling in my gut inspires me.

19 Yes, my stomach is like fermenting wine without a vent, which bursts the new containers.

20 I should speak, but I will also breathe a little; I will open my lips, and I will answer.

21 I will not esteem the reputation of a man, and I will not equate God with man.

22 For I do not know how long I will continue, and whether, after a while, my Maker might take me away.

1 Therefore, hear my speeches, Job, and listen to all my words.

2 Behold, I have opened my mouth; let my tongue speak along with my throat.

3 My words are from my simple heart, and my lips will speak a pure judgment.

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

5 If you can, answer me, and oppose me to my face.

6 Behold, God has made me, just as he also has made you, and I, likewise, have been formed of the same clay.

7 So, truly, do not let my wonders terrify you, and do not let my eloquence be burdensome to you.

8 For you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the voice of your words, saying:

9 “I am clean and without sin; I am immaculate, and there is no iniquity in me.

10 Yet he has discovered blame in me, and so he has treated me like his enemy.

11 He has put my feet in fetters; he has kept watch over all my ways.”

12 Therefore, it is for this reason that you have not been justified. For I tell you that God is greater than man.

13 Do you contend against him because he has not responded to all of your words?

14 God speaks once, and he does not repeat the same thing a second time.

15 Through a dream in a vision of the night, when a deep sleep falls over men, and they are sleeping in their beds,

16 then, he opens the ears of men, and, educating them, he teaches discipline,

17 so that he may divert a man from the things that he is doing, and may free him from pride,

18 rescuing his soul from corruption and his life from passing away by the sword.

19 Likewise, he rebukes by sorrow in bed, and he causes all of his bones to become weak.

20 Bread becomes abominable to him in his life, and, to his soul, the meat which before he desired.

21 His body will waste away, and his bones, which had been covered, will be revealed.

22 His soul has approached corruption, and his life has drawn near to what is deadly.

23 If there were an angel speaking for him, one among thousands, to declare the fairness of the man,

24 he will have mercy on him, and he will say, “Free him, so that he will not descend to destruction. I have found a reason to be favorable to him.

25 His body is consumed by suffering. Let him return to the days of his youth.”

26 He will beg pardon from God, and he will be soothing to him; and he will look upon his face in jubilation, and he will restore his justice to man.

27 He will consider mankind, and he will say: “I have sinned and truly I have offended, yet I was not treated as I deserved.”

28 He has freed his soul from continuing into destruction, so that, in living, it may see the light.

29 Behold, all these things God works three times within each one,

30 so that he may revive their souls from corruption and enlighten them with the light of life.

31 Pay attention Job, and listen to me; and remain silent, while I speak.

32 Yet, if you have anything to say, answer me and speak, for I want you to be treated justly.

33 But if you do not have anything to say, then listen to me. Be quiet and I will teach you wisdom.

1 After proclaiming these things, Eliu now had this to say:

2 May the wise hear my words, and may the educated listen to me.

3 For the ear examines words, and the mouth discerns foods by the taste.

4 Let us choose judgment for ourselves, and let us consider among ourselves what is best.

5 For Job has said: “I am just, yet God has subverted my judgment.

6 For, within my judgment, there is a lie: my vehement barbs are without any sin.”

7 What man is there that is like Job, who drinks up derision as if it were water,

8 who accompanies those who work iniquity, and who walks with impious men?

9 For he has said, “Man will not please God, even if he should travel with him.”

10 Therefore, prudent men, hear me: impiety is far from God, and iniquity is far from the Almighty.

11 For he will restore to man his works, and according to the ways of each, he will repay them.

12 For truly, God will not condemn in vain, nor will the Almighty repudiate judgment.

13 What other is established over the earth? Or whom has he placed over the world, which he made?

14 But, if he directs his heart towards him, he will draw his spirit and breath to himself.

15 All flesh will fail together, and man will return to ashes.

16 Therefore, if you have understanding, hear what is said, and heed the sound of my eloquence.

17 Is he that does not love judgment able to be corrected? And how can you so greatly condemn him who is just?

18 He says to the king, “You are an apostate.” He calls commanders impious.

19 He does not accept the reputation of leaders; nor does he recognize the tyrant as he contends against the poor. For all are the work of his hands.

20 They will die suddenly, and the people will be troubled in the middle of the night, but they will pass through it, and the violent will be taken away without a hand.

21 For his eyes are upon the ways of men, and he examines all of their steps.

22 There is no darkness and no shadow of death, where those who work iniquity may be hidden.

23 For it is no longer within the power of man to enter into judgment with God.

24 He will break into many innumerable pieces, and he will cause others to stand up in their place.

25 For he knows their works, and, as a result, he will bring the night, and they will be crushed.

26 Just as the impious do, he has struck them in a place where they can be seen.

27 They, as if with great diligence, have withdrawn from him, and they refused to understand all his ways,

28 so that they caused the outcry of the needy to reach him, and he heard the voice of the poor.

29 For, when he grants peace, who is there that can condemn? When he hides his face, who is there that can contemplate him, either among the nations, or among all men?

30 He causes a hypocritical man to reign because of the sins of the people.

31 Therefore, since I have been speaking about God, I will not prevent you from doing the same.

32 If I have erred, you may teach me; if I have spoken unfairly, I will add no more.

33 Does God require this of you because it is displeasing to you? For you were the first to speak, and not I. But if you know something better, speak.

34 Let men of understanding speak to me, and let a wise man listen to me.

35 But Job has been speaking foolishly, and his words contain unsound teaching.

36 My father, let Job be tested even to the end; may you not retreat from a man of iniquity.

37 For he adds blasphemy on top of his sins; nevertheless, let him be constrained to be among us, and then let him provoke God to judgment with his speeches.

1 After this, Eliu again spoke in this way:

2 Does it seem right to you in your thoughts, that you should say, “I am more just than God?”

3 For you said, “Having done what is right does not please you,” and, “How will it benefit you, if I sin?”

4 And so, I will respond to your words, and to your friends who are with you.

5 Look up towards heaven and consider; also, think about the sky, which is higher than you.

6 If you sin, how will it hurt him? And if your iniquities are multiplied, what will you do against him?

7 Furthermore, if you act justly, what will you give him, or what will he receive from your hand?

8 Your impiety may hurt a man who is like you, though your justice may help the son of the man.

9 Because of the multitude of false accusers, they will cry out; and they will lament because of the strong arm of the tyrants.

10 Yet he has not said: “Where is God, who made me, who has given songs in the night,

11 who teaches us in addition to the beasts of the earth, and who educates us along with the birds of the air?”

12 There they will cry, and he will not heed them, because of the arrogance of the wicked.

13 Therefore, God does not hear in vain, and the Almighty will look into each and every case.

14 And so, when you say, “He does not examine,” be judged before him, but wait for him.

15 For, at the present time, he does not bring forth his fury, nor does he punish sin exceedingly.

16 Therefore, Job has opened his mouth in vain and has multiplied words without knowledge.

1 Continuing in a similar manner, Eliu had this to say:

2 Bear with me for a little while and I will show you; for I have still more to say in favor of God.

3 I will review my knowledge from the beginning, and I will prove my Maker to be just.

4 For truly my words are without any falsehood and perfect knowledge will be proven to you.

5 God does not abandon the powerful, for he himself is also powerful.

6 But he does not save the impious, though he grants judgment to the poor.

7 He will not take his eyes away from the just, and he continually establishes kings on their throne, and they are exalted.

8 And, if they are in captivity, or are bound with the chains of poverty,

9 he will reveal to them their works, as well as their sinfulness, in that they were violent.

10 Likewise, he will open their ears to his correction, and he will speak to them, so that they may return from iniquity.

11 If they listen and obey, they will fill their days with goodness and complete their years in glory.

12 But if they will not listen, they will pass away by the sword and will be consumed by foolishness.

13 The false and the crafty provoke the wrath of God, yet they do not cry out to him when they are chained.

14 Their soul will die in a storm, and their life, among the unmanly.

15 He will rescue the poor from his anguish, and he will open his ear during tribulation.

16 Therefore, he will save you from the narrow mouth very widely, even though it has no foundation under it. Moreover, your respite at table will be full of fatness.

17 Your case has been judged like that of the impious; you will withdraw your plea and your judgment.

18 Therefore, do not let anger overwhelm you so that you oppress another; neither should you allow a multitude of gifts to influence you.

19 Lay down your greatness without distress, and put aside all of your power with courage.

20 Do not prolong the night, even if people rise on their behalf.

21 Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity; for, after your misery, you have begun to follow this.

22 Behold, God is exalted in his strength, and there is no one like him among the law-givers.

23 Who is able to investigate his ways? And who can say, “You have done iniquity,” to him?

24 Remember that you are ignorant of his work, yet men have sung its praises.

25 All men consider him; and each one ponders from a distance.

26 Behold, God is great, defeating our knowledge; the number of his years is inestimable.

27 He carries away the drops of rain, and he sends forth showers like a raging whirlpool;

28 they flow from the clouds that are woven above everything.

29 If he wills it, he extends the clouds as his tent

30 and shines with his light from above; likewise, he covers the oceans within his tent.

31 For he judges the people by these things, and he gives food to a multitude of mortals.

32 Within his hands, he hides the light, and he commands it to come forth again.

33 He announces it to his friend, for it is his possession and he is able to reach out to it.

1 At this, my heart became frightened, and it has been moved from its place.

2 Pay close attention to the alarm of his voice and to the sound that proceeds from his mouth.

3 He beholds everything under the heavens, and his light reaches beyond the ends of the earth.

4 After this, a noise will sound; he will thunder with the voice of his greatness, and it will not be tracked down, yet his voice will be obeyed.

5 God will thunder with his voice miraculously, for he performs great and unsearchable things.

6 He commands the snow to descend on earth, and the winter rains, and the shower of his strength.

7 He signs the hand of all men, so that each one may know his works.

8 The beast will enter his hiding-place, and he will remain in his cave.

9 From the interior, a storm will come forth, and a cold winter from the north.

10 As God breathes out, frost forms, and the waters are poured forth very widely again.

11 Crops desire clouds, and the clouds scatter their light.

12 It shines all around, wherever the will of him that governs them will lead, to anywhere he will command, over the whole face of the earth,

13 whether in one tribe, or in his own region, or in whatever place of his mercy that he will order them to be found.

14 Listen to these things, Job. Stand up and consider the wonders of God.

15 Do you know when God ordered the rains, so as to show the light of his clouds?

16 Do you know the great paths of the clouds, and the perfect sciences?

17 Are not your garments hot, when the south wind blows across the land?

18 Perhaps you have made the heavens with him, which are very solid, as if they had been cast from brass.

19 Reveal to us what we should say to him, for, of course, we are wrapped in darkness.

20 Who will explain to him the things that I am saying? Even while a man is still speaking, he will be devoured.

21 Although they do not see the light, the air will be thickened suddenly into clouds, and the wind, passing by, will drive them away.

22 Riches arrive from the north, and fearful praise reaches out to God.

23 We are not worthy to be able to find him. Great in strength, great in judgment, great in justice: he is indescribable.

24 Therefore, men will fear him, and all those who seem to themselves to be wise, will not dare to contemplate him.

1 But the Lord, responding to Job from a whirlwind, said:

2 Who is this that wraps sentences in unskilled words?

3 Gird your waist like a man. I will question you, and you must answer me.

4 Where were you, when I set the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

5 Who set its measurements, if you know, or who stretched a line over it?

6 Upon what have its bases been grounded, and who set forth its cornerstone,

7 when the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful noise?

8 Who enclosed the sea with doors, when it broke forth as if issuing from the womb,

9 when I stationed a cloud as its garment and wrapped it in a mist as if swaddling an infant?

10 I encircled it with my limits, and I positioned its bars and doors.

11 And I said: “This far you will approach, and you will proceeded no further, and here you will break your swelling waves.”

12 Did you, after your birth, command the birth of the sun and show the sunrise its place?

13 And did you hold the extremities of the earth, shaking them, and have you shaken the impious out of it?

14 The seal will be restored like clay, and it will remain in place like a garment.

15 From the impious, the light will be taken away, and the exalted arm will be broken.

16 Have you entered the depths of the sea, and have you taken a walk in the uttermost parts of the abyss?

17 Have the gates of death been opened to you, and have you seen the doors of darkness?

18 Have you considered the breadth of the earth? If you know all things, reveal them to me.

19 Which is the way that holds the light, and which is the place of darkness?

20 In this way, you might lead each thing to its final place, and understand the paths of its house.

21 So then, did you know when you were to be born? And did you know the number of your days?

22 Have you been admitted into the storehouses of the snows, and have you gazed upon the stockpile of the brimstone,

23 which I have prepared for the time of the enemy, for the day of the battle and the war?

24 In what way is the light scattered, and the heat distributed, over the earth?

25 Who gave a course to the rainstorms, and a path to the resounding thunder,

26 so that it would rain on the earth far from man, in the wilderness where no mortal lingers,

27 so that it would fill impassable and desolate places, and would bring forth green plants?

28 Who is the father of rain, or who conceived the drops of dew?

29 From whose womb did the ice proceed, and who created the frost from the air?

30 The waters are hardened to become like stone, and the surface of the abyss freezes over.

31 Will you have the strength to join together the sparkling stars of the Pleiades, or are you able to disperse the circling of Arcturus?

32 Can you bring forth the morning star, in its time, and make the evening star rise over the sons of the earth?

33 Do you know the order of heaven, and can you explain its rules here on the earth?

34 Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that an onslaught of waters will cover you?

35 Can you send forth lightning bolts, and will they go, and on returning, say to you: “Here we are?”

36 Who placed discernment in the guts of man, or who gave the rooster intelligence?

37 Who can describe the rules of the heavens, or who can put to rest the harmony of heaven?

38 When was the dust cast to become the earth, and when were its clods fastened together?

39 Will you seize prey for the lioness, and will you sustain the lives of her young,

40 as they rest in their dens or lie in wait in pits?

41 Who provides the raven with its meal, when her chicks cry out to God, as they wander around because they have no food?

1 Do you know at what time the wild goats have given birth among the rocks, or do you observe the deer when they go into labor?

2 Have you numbered the months since their conception, and do you know at what time they gave birth?

3 They bend themselves for their offspring, and they give birth, and they emit roars.

4 Their young are weaned and go out to feed; they depart and do not return to them.

5 Who has set the wild ass free, and who has released his bonds?

6 I have given a house in solitude to him, and his tabernacle is in the salted land.

7 He despises the crowded city; he does not pay attention to the bellow of the tax collector.

8 He looks around the mountains of his pasture, and he searches everywhere for green plants.

9 Will the rhinoceros be willing to serve you, and will he remain in your stall?

10 Can you detain the rhinoceros with your harness to plough for you, and will he loosen the soil of the furrows behind you?

11 Will you put your faith in his great strength, and delegate your labors to him?

12 Will you trust him to return to you the seed, and to gather it on your drying floor?

13 The wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the heron, and of the hawk.

14 When she leaves eggs behind in the earth, will you perhaps warm them in the dust?

15 She forgets that feet may trample them, or that the beasts of the field may shatter them.

16 She is hardened against her young, as if they were not hers; she has labored in vain, with no fear compelling her.

17 For God has deprived her of wisdom; neither has he given her understanding.

18 Yet, when the time is right, she raises her wings on high; she ridicules the horse and his rider.

19 Will you supply strength to the horse, or envelope his throat with neighing?

20 Will you alarm him as the locusts do? His panic is revealed by the display of his nostrils.

21 He digs at the earth with his hoof; he jumps around boldly; he advances to meet armed men.

22 He despises fear; he does not turn away from the sword.

23 Above him, the quiver rattles, the spear and the shield shake.

24 Seething and raging, he drinks up the earth; neither does he pause when the blast of the trumpet sounds.

25 When he hears the bugle, he says, “Ha!” He smells the battle from a distance, the exhortation of the officers, and the battle cry of the soldiers.

26 Does the hawk grow feathers by means of your wisdom, spreading her wings towards the south?

27 Will the eagle lift herself up at your command and make her nest in steep places?

28 She dwells among the rocks, and she lingers among broken boulders and inaccessible cliffs.

29 From there, she looks for food, and her eyes catch sight of it from far away.

30 Her young will drink blood, and wherever the carcass will be, she is there immediately.

31 And the Lord continued, and he said to Job:

32 Will he who contends with God be so easily silenced? Certainly, he who argues with God must also respond to him.

33 Then Job answered the Lord, saying:

34 What could I possibly answer, since I have been speaking thoughtlessly? I will place my hand over my mouth.

35 One thing I have spoken, which I wish I had not said; and another, to which I will add no more.

1 But the Lord, answering Job out of the whirlwind, said:

2 Gird your waist like a man. I will question you, and you must answer me.

3 Will you make my judgment null and void; and will you condemn me so that you may be justified?

4 And do you have an arm like God, or a voice like thunder?

5 Envelop yourself with splendor, and raise yourself up on high, and be glorious, and put on splendid garments.

6 Scatter the arrogant with your wrath, and, when you see all the arrogant, humble them.

7 Look down upon each of the arrogant and confound them, and crush the impious in their place.

8 Hide them in the dust together and plunge their faces into the pit.

9 Then I will confess that your right hand is able to save you.

10 Behold, the behemoth, whom I created along with you, eats hay like an ox.

11 His strength is in his lower back, and his power is in the center of his abdomen.

12 He draws up his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs have been drawn together.

13 His bones are like pipes of brass; his cartilage is like plates of iron.

14 He is the beginning of the ways of God, who made him; he will use him as his sword.

15 The mountains bring forth grass for him; all the beasts of the field will play there.

16 He sleeps in the shadows, under the cover of branches, and in moist places.

17 The shadows cover his shadow; the willows of the brook will encircle him.

18 Behold, he will drink a river and not be amazed, and he has confidence that the Jordan could flow into his mouth.

19 He will seize him through his eyes, as if with a hook, and he will bore through his nostrils, as if with stakes.

20 Can you draw out the leviathan with a hook, and can you bind his tongue with a cord?

21 Can you place a ring in his nose, or bore through his jaw with an arm band?

22 Will he offer many prayers to you, or speak to you quietly?

23 Will he form a covenant with you, and will you accept him as a servant forever?

24 Will you play with him as with a bird, or tether him for your handmaids?

25 Will your friends cut him into pieces, will dealers distribute him?

26 Will you fill up bags with his hide, and let his head be used as a home for fishes?

27 Place your hand upon him; remember the battle and speak no more.

28 Behold, his hope will fail him, and in the sight of all, he will be thrown down.

1 I will not rouse him, as the cruel would do, for who is able to withstand my countenance?

2 Who has given to me beforehand, so that I should repay him? All things that are under heaven are mine.

3 I will not spare him, nor his powerful words and counterfeit attempts at supplication.

4 Who can reveal the beauty of his garment? And who can enter the middle of his mouth?

5 Who can open the doors of his face? I gave fear to the circle of his teeth.

6 His body is like shields fused together, like dense scales pressed over one another.

7 One is joined to another, and not even air can pass between them.

8 They adhere to one another, and they hold themselves in place and will not be separated.

9 His sneezing has the brilliance of fire, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

10 Lamps proceed from his mouth, like torches of fire burning brightly.

11 Smoke passes out of his nostrils, like a pot that is heated and boiling.

12 His breath causes coal to burn, and a flame comes forth from his mouth.

13 Strength dwells in his neck, and destitution goes before his presence.

14 The parts of his body work in harmony together. He will send lightning bolts against him, and they will not be carried to another place.

15 His heart will be as hard as a stone and as dense as a blacksmith’s anvil.

16 When he will be raised up, the angels will be afraid, and, because they are terrified, they will purify themselves.

17 When a sword catches up with him, it will not be able to settle in, nor a spear, nor a breastplate.

18 For he will consider iron as if it were chaff, and brass as if it were rotten wood.

19 The archer will not cause him to flee; the stones of the sling have been turned into stubble for him.

20 He will treat the hammer as if it were stubble, and he will ridicule those who brandish the spear.

21 The beams of the sun will be under him, and he will dispense gold to them as if it were clay.

22 He will make the depths of the sea boil like a pot, and he will set it to bubble just as ointments do.

23 A path will shine after him; he will esteem the abyss as if it were weakening with age.

24 There is no power on the earth that is being compared to him, who has been made so that he fears no one.

25 He sees every prominent thing; he is king over all the sons of arrogance.