וַיֹּסֶף אֱלִיהוּא וַיֹּאמַר׃   36:1

Job 36:1   Then Elihu continued, and he said,

כַּתַּר־לִי זְעֵיר וַאֲחַוֶּךָּ כִּי עוֹד לֶאֱלוֹהַּ מִלִּים׃   36:2

Job 36:2   "Wait a moment, so I can tell you,

                             because there are yet more words regarding God."

אֶשָּׂא דֵעִי לְמֵרָחוֹק וּלְפֹעֲלִי אֶתֵּן־צֶדֶק׃   36:3

Job 36:3   "I will take my knowledge being from a long time ago,

                             and to my Maker ascribe righteousness."

כִּי־אָמְנָם לֹא־שֶׁקֶר מִלָּי תְּמִים דֵּעוֹת עִמָּךְ׃   36:4

Job 36:4   "For truly my speech is not a lie;

                             one of upright knowledge is with you."

הֶן־אֵל כַּבִּיר וְלֹא יִמְאָס כַּבִּיר כֹּחַ לֵב׃   36:5

Job 36:5   "Behold, God is mighty,

                             mighty of strength of understanding,

                    so He will not despise."

לֹא־יְחַיֶּה רָשָׁע וּמִשְׁפַּט עֲנִיִּים יִתֵּן׃   36:6

Job 36:6   "He will not preserve the wicked one,

                             and He will give the poor justice."

לֹא־יִגְרַע מִצַּדִּיק עֵינָיו וְאֶת־מְלָכִים לַכִּסֵּא וַיֹּשִׁיבֵם לָנֶצַח וַיִּגְבָּהוּ׃   36:7

Job 36:7   "He will not withdraw His 'eyes' from one who is righteous,

                             as with kings to a throne,

                    so He will remain with them forever

                             so they will be exalted."

I have to understand this.  Elihu seems to be saying that God will remain with the righteous so they will be exalted.   In the next verse, he still seems to be referring to the righteous, and continues to do so for the next few verses.  If so, I can’t figure out what his message is.  Is he saying that if the righteous are seized by the sorrows of affliction, then God will show them their transgressions?  And He will lure them back to righteousness?  This makes little sense to me.  If I understand it correctly, this theory has holes in it big enough to see the darkness of a blind person through them.  I think Elihu is confused into believing that evil is quickly punished, but those who are righteous yet commit minor infractions, are punished over an extended time period.  The former punishment is swift because God knows the perpetrators cannot be turned from their evil.  The purpose of the latter punishment is to get the victims to become more righteous.  What an amazing theory -- it not only isn’t logical, it also defies experience.

וְאִם־אֲסוּרִים בַּזִּקִּים יִלָּכְדוּן בְּחַבְלֵי־עֹנִי׃   36:8

Job 36:8   “And if, bound in fetters,

                             they would be seized by the sorrows of affliction;

וַיַּגֵּד לָהֶם פָּעֳלָם וּפִשְׁעֵיהֶם כִּי יִתְגַּבָּרוּ׃   36:9

Job 36:9   then He would declare to them their work, and their transgressions,

                             by which they would try to show themselves mighty,

וַיִּגֶל אָזְנָם לַמּוּסָר וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי־יְשֻׁבוּן מֵאָוֶן׃   36:10

Job 36:10   and uncover their ear to discipline,

                             and speak that they should turn back from iniquity."

אִם־יִשְׁמְעוּ וְיַעֲבֹדוּ יְכַלּוּ יְמֵיהֶם בַּטּוֹב וּשְׁנֵיהֶם בַּנְּעִימִים׃   36:11

Job 36:11   "Were they to listen and serve,

                             they would spend their days in prosperity

                      and their years delightfully."

וְאִם־לֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ בְּשֶׁלַח יַעֲבֹרוּ וְיִגְוְעוּ כִּבְלִי־דָעַת׃   36:12

Job 36:12   "But if they would not listen,

                             they would pass away by weapon,

                      and die without knowledge."

וְחַנְפֵי־לֵב יָשִׂימוּ אָף לֹא יְשַׁוְּעוּ כִּי אֲסָרָם׃   36:13

Job 36:13   "And the deceitful of heart must lay up anger;

                            they cannot cry out for help when He has bound them."

This must be a veiled reference to Job.  But see the next verse.  This is not what is happening to Job.

תָּמֹת בַּנֹּעַר נַפְשָׁם וְחַיָּתָם בַּקְּדֵשִׁים׃   36:14

Job 36:14   "Their soul will perish in youth,

                             with their life in prostitution."

יְחַלֵּץ עָנִי בְעָנְיוֹ וְיִגֶל בַּלַּחַץ אָזְנָם׃   36:15

Job 36:15   "He would inspire those humble with His affliction,

                             and uncover their ear in distress."

וְאַף הֲסִיתְךָ מִפִּי־צָר רַחַב לֹא־מוּצָק תַּחְתֶּיהָ וְנַחַת לְחָנְךָ מָלֵא דָשֶׁן׃   36:16

Job 36:16   "So indeed He lures you from a distressing end,

                             a broad expanse without constraint instead of it,

                      and the setting of your table will be full of blessing.”

וְדִין־רָשָׁע מָלֵאתָ דִּין וּמִשְׁפָּט יִתְמֹכוּ׃   36:17

Job 36:17   “But you are full of the judgment of a wicked one;

                             judgment and justice will take hold."

This must be another veiled reference to Job.

כִּי־חֵמָה פֶּן־יְסִיתְךָ בְסָפֶק וְרָב־כֹּפֶר אַל־יַטֶּךָּ׃   36:18

Job 36:18   "For beware of indignation lest it entice you with sufficiency,

                             that the greatness of the ransom will turn you away."

This appears to be about Job’s anger.  But I don’t believe Elihu has this right.  Job has not displayed anger toward God, but only to the friends whose words he finds insulting and lacking in compassion.

הֲיַעֲרֹךְ שׁוּעֲךָ לֹא בְצָר וְכֹל מַאֲמַצֵּי־כֹחַ׃   36:19

Job 36:19   "Can your opulence without constraint be valued,

                             and all the forces of strength?"

Where is this opulence of which Elihu speaks?  Can he still be referring to Job?

אַל־תִּשְׁאַף הַלָּיְלָה לַעֲלוֹת עַמִּים תַּחְתָּם׃   36:20

Job 36:20   "You must not long for the night,

                             withdrawing peoples in their place."

Here Elihu must be talking about thieves and/or kidnappers.  Is he saying that Job is one of these?

הִשָּׁמֶר אַל־תֵּפֶן אֶל־אָוֶן כִּי־עַל־זֶה בָּחַרְתָּ מֵעֹנִי׃   36:21

Job 36:21   "Take heed! You must not turn toward iniquity,

                             which, because of this, you choose rather than affliction."

What is this supposed to mean?  Is Elihu saying that Job would choose iniquity because of his affliction, as it would relieve him?  Even if turning to iniquity got rid of his boils, how could it bring back his ten children?

הֶן־אֵל יַשְׂגִּיב בְּכֹחוֹ מִי כָמֹהוּ מוֹרֶה׃   36:22

Job 36:22   "Behold God! He can act exaltedly in His might.

                             Who is a teacher like He?"

מִי־פָקַד עָלָיו דַּרְכּוֹ וּמִי־אָמַר פָּעַלְתָּ עַוְלָה׃   36:23

Job 36:23   "Who attends to His way over Him?

                             Or who says, 'You have done injustice?'"

Here Elihu seems to be singling out Job as if he were one of a kind.

זְכֹר כִּי־תַשְׂגִּיא פָעֳלוֹ אֲשֶׁר שֹׁרְרוּ אֲנָשִׁים׃   36:24

Job 36:24   "Remember that you must magnify His work,

                             of which people sing."

כָּל־אָדָם חָזוּ־בוֹ אֱנוֹשׁ יַבִּיט מֵרָחוֹק׃   36:25

Job 36:25   "All humankind look to Him;

                             a person must regard from a distance."

הֶן־אֵל שַׂגִּיא וְלֹא נֵדָע מִסְפַּר שָׁנָיו וְלֹא־חֵקֶר׃   36:26

Job 36:26   "Behold, God is great,

                             and it is not our knowing the measure of His time,

                      as He is unsearchable."

כִּי יְגָרַע נִטְפֵי־מָיִם יָזֹקּוּ מָטָר לְאֵדוֹ׃   36:27

Job 36:27   "For He can restrain the drops of water;

                             they would distill the rain in His mist,

אֲשֶׁר־יִזְּלוּ שְׁחָקִים יִרְעֲפוּ עֲלֵי אָדָם רָב׃   36:28

Job 36:28   that the clouds would pour down;

                             they would drop upon humankind in abundance."

אַף אִם־יָבִין מִפְרְשֵׂי־עָב תְּשֻׁאוֹת סֻכָּתוֹ׃   36:29

Job 36:29   "Indeed, can anyone understand the spreadings of cloud,

                             the clamorings of His house?"

הֵן־פָּרַשׂ עָלָיו אוֹרוֹ וְשָׁרְשֵׁי הַיָּם כִּסָּה׃   36:30

Job 36:30   "Behold, He spreads His light over it,

                             and covers the bottom channels of the sea."

כִּי־בָם יָדִין עַמִּים יִתֶּן־אֹכֶל לְמַכְבִּיר׃   36:31

Job 36:31   "For with them He can judge peoples;

                             He can provide food in abundance."

עַל־כַּפַּיִם כִּסָּה־אוֹר וַיְצַו עָלֶיהָ בְמַפְגִּיעַ׃   36:32

Job 36:32   "With the 'palms' He spreads lightning

                             and gives charge to it on what to strike."

יַגִּיד עָלָיו רֵעוֹ מִקְנֶה אַף עַל־עוֹלֶה׃   36:33

Job 36:33   "Its thunder would announce about it,

                             cattle also, about its springing up."

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