1 Elihu went on speaking. He said:
2 Be patient a little longer while I explain, for I have more to say on God's behalf.
3 I shall range far afield for my arguments to prove my Maker just.
4 I guarantee, nothing I shall say will be untrue: you have a man of sound learning here.
5 God does not reject anyone whose heart is pure
6 or let the sinner live on in all his power. He does accord fair judgement to the afflicted;
7 he does uphold what the upright deserve. When he raises kings to thrones, if they grow proud of their unending rule,
8 then he fetters them with chains, they are caught in the bonds of affliction.
9 He shows them the import of their deeds, of the sins of pride they have committed.
10 In their ears he sounds a warning, ordering them to turn back from doing wrong.
11 If they take notice and obey him, the rest of their days are prosperous and the years pass pleasantly.
12 If not, they go down the Canal and perish in their stupidity.
13 The stubborn, who cherish their anger and do not cry for help when he chains them,
14 die in the bloom of youth or live among the male prostitutes of the temple.
15 But God saves the afflicted by his affliction, warning him in his misery.
16 You, too, he would like to snatch from torment. While you were enjoying boundless abundance, with rich food piled high on your table,
17 you did not bring the wicked to trial and did not give fair judgement to the orphan.
18 Beware of being led astray by abundance, of being corrupted by expensive presents.
19 Take the powerful to law, not merely the penniless, those whose arm is strong, not merely the weak.
20 Do not crush people you do not know to install your relations in their place.
21 Avoid any tendency to wrong-doing, for this is why affliction is testing you now.
22 See, God is sublime in his strength and who can teach lessons as he does?
23 Who has even told him which course to take, or dared to say to him, 'You have done wrong'?
24 Consider, rather, how you may praise his work, a theme that many have sung.
25 This is something that everyone can see, gazing, as we do, from afar.
26 Yes, the greatness of God exceeds our knowledge, the number of his years is past counting.
27 It is he who makes the raindrops small and pulverises the rain into mist.
28 And the clouds then pour this out, sending it streaming down on the human race.
29 And who can fathom how he spreads the clouds, or why such crashes thunder from his tent?
30 He spreads a mist before him and covers the tops of the mountains.
31 By these means, he sustains the peoples, giving them plenty to eat.
32 He gathers up the lightning in his hands, assigning it the mark where to strike.
33 His crashing gives warning of its coming, anger flashes out against iniquity.
Versículos relacionados com Job, 36:
Job 36 is a chapter in which Eliú continues to talk to Job about God's righteousness and the need to trust him, even in the midst of difficulties. Eliú emphasizes God's sovereignty and his wisdom, and argues that Job's sufferings are a divine correction for his pride and sin. He also emphasizes the need for repentance and submission to God.
Proverbs 3:11-12: "My Son, the Lord's correction does not despise, nor faint when he is rebuked by him; for the Lord rebuke he to whom he loves, just as the Father to the Son to whom he wants well." Just as Eliú argues that Job's sufferings are a divine correction, this verse of proverbs emphasizes the importance of accepting the correction of the Lord, for this is a sign of love and care.
Psalm 119:75: "I know, O Lord, that your judgments are righteous, and that in your faithfulness afflicted me." Eliú argues that Job's sufferings are righteous and destined to correct him, and this verse of Psalm 119 shows a similar recognition of God's righteousness and faithfulness, even in the midst of affliction.
James 4:10, "Humiliate you before the Lord, and he shall exalt you." Eliú emphasizes the need for Job to humble himself before God and repent of any pride or sin, and this verse in James also emphasizes the importance of humility before God.
Psalm 147:5: "Great is our Lord, and of great power; his understanding is infinite." Eliú emphasizes the wisdom and knowledge of God, and this verse of Psalm 147 also highlights the greatness and infinity of divine understanding.
Proverbs 16:19: "It is better to be humble of mind with the meek than to share spoils with the superb." Eliú emphasizes the need for humility and submission to God, and this verse in proverbs also highlights the importance of humility in general, in contrast to the pride of the superb.
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