Read the Bible

Elihu Sharply Reproves Job

¹ Elihu continued speaking to Job and said,

² "Do you think this is according to your ^(C1)justice?
Do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's'?

³ "For you say, '^(C1)What advantage have you by living a righteous life?
^(C2)What profit will I have, more by being righteous than if I had sinned?'

⁴ "I will answer you,
And your companions with you.

⁵ "^(C1)Look to the heavens and see;
And behold ^(C2)the skies which are much higher than you.

⁶ "If you have sinned, ^(C1)what do you accomplish against Him?
And if your transgressions are multiplied, what have you done to Him?

⁷ "If you are righteous, ^(C1)what do you give God,
Or what does He receive from your hand?

⁸ "Your wickedness affects only a man such as you,
And your righteousness affects only ^(F1)a son of man but it cannot affect God, who is sovereign.

⁹ "Because of the ^(C1)multitudes of oppressions the people cry out;
They cry for help because of the violent arm ^(C2)of the mighty.

¹⁰ "But ^(C1)no one says, 'Where is God my Maker,
Who ^(C2)gives songs of rejoicing in the night, ^(VR1)

¹¹ Who ^(C1)teaches us more than the beasts of the earth
And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?'

¹² "The people ^(C1)cry out, but He does not answer
Because of the pride of evil men.

¹³ "Surely ^(C1)God will not listen to an empty cry which lacks trust,
Nor will the Almighty regard it.

¹⁴ "Even though ^(C1)you say that you do not see Him when missing His righteous judgment on earth,
Yet your ^(C2)case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!

¹⁵ "And now, because He has not quickly punished in His anger,
Nor has He acknowledged transgression and arrogance well and seems unaware of the wrong of which a person is guilty,

¹⁶ Job uselessly opens his mouth
And multiplies words ^(C1)without knowledge drawing the worthless conclusion that the righteous have no more advantage than the wicked."