1: "So please, Job, hear me out, honor me by listening to me.
2: What I'm about to say has been carefully thought out.
3: I have no ulterior motives in this; I'm speaking honestly from my heart.
4: The Spirit of God made me what I am, the breath of God Almighty gave me life!
5: "And if you think you can prove me wrong, do it. Lay out your arguments. Stand up for yourself!
6: Look, I'm human--no better than you; we're both made of the same kind of mud.
7: So let's work this through together; don't let my aggressiveness overwhelm you.
8: "Here's what you said. I heard you say it with my own ears.
9: You said, "I'm pure--I've done nothing wrong. Believe me, I'm clean--my conscience is clear.
10: But God keeps picking on me; he treats me like I'm his enemy.
11: He's thrown me in jail; he keeps me under constant surveillance.'
12: "But let me tell you, Job, you're wrong, dead wrong! God is far greater than any human.
13: So how dare you haul him into court, and then complain that he won't answer your charges?
14: God always answers, one way or another, even when people don't recognize his presence.
15: "In a dream, for instance, a vision at night, when men and women are deep in sleep, fast asleep in their beds--
16: God opens their ears and impresses them with warnings
17: To turn them back from something bad they're planning, from some reckless choice,
18: And keep them from an early grave, from the river of no return.
19: "Or, God might get their attention through pain, by throwing them on a bed of suffering,
20: So they can't stand the sight of food, have no appetite for their favorite treats.
21: They lose weight, wasting away to nothing, reduced to a bag of bones.
22: They hang on the cliff-edge of death, knowing the next breath may be their last.
23: "But even then an angel could come, a champion--there are thousands of them!- to take up your cause,
24: A messenger who would mercifully intervene, canceling the death sentence with the words: "I've come up with the ransom!'
25: Before you know it, you're healed, the very picture of health!
26: "Or, you may fall on your knees and pray--to God's delight! You'll see God's smile and celebrate, finding yourself set right with God.
27: You'll sing God's praises to everyone you meet, testifying, "I messed up my life--and let me tell you, it wasn't worth it.
28: But God stepped in and saved me from certain death. I'm alive again! Once more I see the light!'
29: "This is the way God works. Over and over again
30: He pulls our souls back from certain destruction so we'll see the light--and live in the light!
31: "Keep listening, Job. Don't interrupt--I'm not finished yet.
32: But if you think of anything I should know, tell me. There's nothing I'd like better than to see your name cleared.
33: Meanwhile, keep listening. Don't distract me with interruptions. I'm going to teach you the basics of wisdom." Elihu's Second Speech It's Impossible for God to Do Evil