36:1 |
Elihu continued: |
36:2 |
"Bear with me a little longer and I will show you that there is more to be said in God's behalf. |
36:3 |
I get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker. |
36:4 |
Be assured that my words are not false; one perfect in knowledge is with you. |
36:5 |
"God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose. |
36:6 |
He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights. |
36:7 |
He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. |
36:8 |
But if men are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, |
36:9 |
he tells them what they have done--that they have sinned arrogantly. |
36:10 |
He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. |
36:11 |
If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. |
36:12 |
But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge. |
36:13 |
"The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help. |
36:14 |
They die in their youth, among male prostitutes of the shrines. |
36:15 |
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. |
36:16 |
"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. |
36:17 |
But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you. |
36:18 |
Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside. |
36:19 |
Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress? |
36:20 |
Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes. |
36:21 |
Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction. |
36:22 |
"God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? |
36:23 |
Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, 'You have done wrong'? |
36:24 |
Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song. |
36:25 |
All mankind has seen it; men gaze on it from afar. |
36:26 |
How great is God--beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. |
36:27 |
"He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; |
36:28 |
the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. |
36:29 |
Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion? |
36:30 |
See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea. |
36:31 |
This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance. |
36:32 |
He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark. |
36:33 |
His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach. |
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