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.