36:1
Elihu went on speaking. He said:
36:2
Be patient a little longer while I explain, for I have more to say on God's behalf.
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I shall range far afield for my arguments to prove my Maker just.
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I guarantee, nothing I shall say will be untrue: you have a man of sound learning here.
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God does not reject anyone whose heart is pure
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or let the sinner live on in all his power. He does accord fair judgement to the afflicted;
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he does uphold what the upright deserve. When he raises kings to thrones, if they grow proud of their unending rule,
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then he fetters them with chains, they are caught in the bonds of affliction.
36:9
He shows them the import of their deeds, of the sins of pride they have committed.
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In their ears he sounds a warning, ordering them to turn back from doing wrong.
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If they take notice and obey him, the rest of their days are prosperous and the years pass pleasantly.
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If not, they go down the Canal and perish in their stupidity.
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The stubborn, who cherish their anger and do not cry for help when he chains them,
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die in the bloom of youth or live among the male prostitutes of the temple.
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But God saves the afflicted by his affliction, warning him in his misery.
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You, too, he would like to snatch from torment. While you were enjoying boundless abundance, with rich food piled high on your table,
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you did not bring the wicked to trial and did not give fair judgement to the orphan.
36:18
Beware of being led astray by abundance, of being corrupted by expensive presents.
36:19
Take the powerful to law, not merely the penniless, those whose arm is strong, not merely the weak.
36:20
Do not crush people you do not know to install your relations in their place.
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Avoid any tendency to wrong-doing, for this is why affliction is testing you now.
36:22
See, God is sublime in his strength and who can teach lessons as he does?
36:23
Who has even told him which course to take, or dared to say to him, 'You have done wrong'?
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Consider, rather, how you may praise his work, a theme that many have sung.
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This is something that everyone can see, gazing, as we do, from afar.
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Yes, the greatness of God exceeds our knowledge, the number of his years is past counting.
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It is he who makes the raindrops small and pulverises the rain into mist.
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And the clouds then pour this out, sending it streaming down on the human race.
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And who can fathom how he spreads the clouds, or why such crashes thunder from his tent?
36:30
He spreads a mist before him and covers the tops of the mountains.
36:31
By these means, he sustains the peoples, giving them plenty to eat.
36:32
He gathers up the lightning in his hands, assigning it the mark where to strike.
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His crashing gives warning of its coming, anger flashes out against iniquity.
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