Job 33; Job 33; Job 34; Job 35; Job 36; Job 37

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Job 33

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! God Always Answers, One Way or Another

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."

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

Job 33

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! God Always Answers, One Way or Another

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."

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

Job 34

1 Elihu continued:

2 "So, my fine friends - listen to me, and see what you think of this.

3 Isn't it just common sense - as common as the sense of taste -

4 To put our heads together and figure out what's going on here?

5 "We've all heard Job say, 'I'm in the right, but God won't give me a fair trial.

6 When I defend myself, I'm called a liar to my face. I've done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.'

7 Have you ever heard anything to beat this? Does nothing faze this man Job?

8 Do you think he's spent too much time in bad company, hanging out with the wrong crowd,

9 So that now he's parroting their line: 'It doesn't pay to try to please God'?

10 "You're veterans in dealing with these matters; certainly we're of one mind on this. It's impossible for God to do anything evil; no way can the Mighty One do wrong.

11 He makes us pay for exactly what we've done - no more, no less. Our chickens always come home to roost.

12 It's impossible for God to do anything wicked, for the Mighty One to subvert justice.

13 He's the one who runs the earth! He cradles the whole world in his hand!

14 If he decided to hold his breath,

15 every man, woman, and child would die for lack of air. God Is Working Behind the Scenes

16 "So, Job, use your head; this is all pretty obvious.

17 Can someone who hates order, keep order? Do you dare condemn the righteous, mighty God?

18 Doesn't God always tell it like it is, exposing corrupt rulers as scoundrels and criminals?

19 Does he play favorites with the rich and famous and slight the poor? Isn't he equally responsible to everybody?

20 Don't people who deserve it die without notice? Don't wicked rulers tumble to their doom? When the so-called great ones are wiped out, we know God is working behind the scenes.

21 "He has his eyes on every man and woman. He doesn't miss a trick.

22 There is no night dark enough, no shadow deep enough, to hide those who do evil.

23 God doesn't need to gather any more evidence; their sin is an open-and-shut case.

24 He deposes the so-called high and mighty without asking questions, and replaces them at once with others.

25 Nobody gets by with anything; overnight, judgment is signed, sealed, and delivered.

26 He punishes the wicked for their wickedness out in the open where everyone can see it,

27 Because they quit following him, no longer even thought about him or his ways.

28 Their apostasy was announced by the cry of the poor; the cry of the afflicted got God's attention. Because You Refuse to Live on God's Terms

29 "If God is silent, what's that to you? If he turns his face away, what can you do about it? But whether silent or hidden, he's there, ruling,

30 so that those who hate God won't take over and ruin people's lives.

31 "So why don't you simply confess to God? Say, 'I sinned, but I'll sin no more.

32 Teach me to see what I still don't see. Whatever evil I've done, I'll do it no more.'

33 Just because you refuse to live on God's terms, do you think he should start living on yours? You choose. I can't do it for you. Tell me what you decide.

34 "All right-thinking people say - and the wise who have listened to me concur -

35 'Job is an ignoramus. He talks utter nonsense.'

36 Job, you need to be pushed to the wall and called to account for wickedly talking back to God the way you have.

37 You've compounded your original sin by rebelling against God's discipline, Defiantly shaking your fist at God, piling up indictments against the Almighty One."

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

Job 35

1 Elihu lit into Job again:

2 "Does this kind of thing make any sense? First you say, 'I'm perfectly innocent before God.'

3 And then you say, 'It doesn't make a bit of difference whether I've sinned or not.'

4 "Well, I'm going to show you that you don't know what you're talking about, neither you nor your friends.

5 Look up at the sky. Take a long hard look. See those clouds towering above you?

6 If you sin, what difference could that make to God? No matter how much you sin, will it matter to him?

7 Even if you're good, what would God get out of that? Do you think he's dependent on your accomplishments?

8 The only ones who care whether you're good or bad are your family and friends and neighbors. God's not dependent on your behavior.

9 "When times get bad, people cry out for help. They cry for relief from being kicked around,

10 But never give God a thought when things go well, when God puts spontaneous songs in their hearts,

11 When God sets out the entire creation as a science classroom, using birds and beasts to teach wisdom.

12 People are arrogantly indifferent to God - until, of course, they're in trouble, and then God is indifferent to them.

13 There's nothing behind such prayers except panic; the Almighty pays them no mind.

14 So why would he notice you just because you say you're tired of waiting to be heard,

15 Or waiting for him to get good and angry and do something about the world's problems?

16 "Job, you talk sheer nonsense - nonstop nonsense!"

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

Job 36

1 Here Elihu took a deep breath, but kept going:

2 "Stay with me a little longer. I'll convince you. There's still more to be said on God's side.

3 I learned all this firsthand from the Source; everything I know about justice I owe to my Maker himself.

4 Trust me, I'm giving you undiluted truth; believe me, I know these things inside and out.

5 "It's true that God is all-powerful, but he doesn't bully innocent people.

6 For the wicked, though, it's a different story - he doesn't give them the time of day, but champions the rights of their victims.

7 He never takes his eyes off the righteous; he honors them lavishly, promotes them endlessly.

8 When things go badly, when affliction and suffering descend,

9 God tells them where they've gone wrong, shows them how their pride has caused their trouble.

10 He forces them to heed his warning, tells them they must repent of their bad life.

11 If they obey and serve him, they'll have a good, long life on easy street.

12 But if they disobey, they'll be cut down in their prime and never know the first thing about life.

13 Angry people without God pile grievance upon grievance, always blaming others for their troubles.

14 Living it up in sexual excesses, virility wasted, they die young.

15 But those who learn from their suffering, God delivers from their suffering. Obsessed with Putting the Blame on God

16 "Oh, Job, don't you see how God's wooing you from the jaws of danger? How he's drawing you into wide-open places - inviting you to feast at a table laden with blessings?

17 And here you are laden with the guilt of the wicked, obsessed with putting the blame on God!

18 Don't let your great riches mislead you; don't think you can bribe your way out of this.

19 Did you plan to buy your way out of this? Not on your life!

20 And don't think that night, when people sleep off their troubles, will bring you any relief.

21 Above all, don't make things worse with more evil - that's what's behind your suffering as it is!

22 "Do you have any idea how powerful God is? Have you ever heard of a teacher like him?

23 Has anyone ever had to tell him what to do, or correct him, saying, 'You did that all wrong!'?

24 Remember, then, to praise his workmanship, which is so often celebrated in song.

25 Everybody sees it; nobody is too far away to see it. No One Can Escape from God

26 "Take a long, hard look. See how great he is - infinite, greater than anything you could ever imagine or figure out!

27 "He pulls water up out of the sea, distills it, and fills up his rain-cloud cisterns.

28 Then the skies open up and pour out soaking showers on everyone.

29 Does anyone have the slightest idea how this happens? How he arranges the clouds, how he speaks in thunder?

30 Just look at that lightning, his sky-filling light show illumining the dark depths of the sea!

31 These are the symbols of his sovereignty, his generosity, his loving care.

32 He hurls arrows of light, taking sure and accurate aim.

33 The High God roars in the thunder, angry against evil.

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.

Job 37

1 "Whenever this happens, my heart stops - I'm stunned, I can't catch my breath.

2 Listen to it! Listen to his thunder, the rolling, rumbling thunder of his voice.

3 He lets loose his lightnings from horizon to horizon, lighting up the earth from pole to pole.

4 In their wake, the thunder echoes his voice, powerful and majestic. He lets out all the stops, he holds nothing back. No one can mistake that voice -

5 His word thundering so wondrously, his mighty acts staggering our understanding.

6 He orders the snow, 'Blanket the earth!' and the rain, 'Soak the whole countryside!'

7 No one can escape the weather - it's there. And no one can escape from God.

8 Wild animals take shelter, crawling into their dens,

9 When blizzards roar out of the north and freezing rain crusts the land.

10 It's God's breath that forms the ice, it's God's breath that turns lakes and rivers solid.

11 And yes, it's God who fills clouds with rainwater and hurls lightning from them every which way.

12 He puts them through their paces - first this way, then that - commands them to do what he says all over the world.

13 Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love, he makes sure they make their mark. A Terrible Beauty Streams from God

14 "Job, are you listening? Have you noticed all this? Stop in your tracks! Take in God's miracle-wonders!

15 Do you have any idea how God does it all, how he makes bright lightning from dark storms,

16 How he piles up the cumulus clouds - all these miracle-wonders of a perfect Mind?

17 Why, you don't even know how to keep cool on a sweltering hot day,

18 So how could you even dream of making a dent in that hot-tin-roof sky?

19 "If you're so smart, give us a lesson in how to address God. We're in the dark and can't figure it out.

20 Do you think I'm dumb enough to challenge God? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?

21 No one in his right mind stares straight at the sun on a clear and cloudless day.

22 As gold comes from the northern mountains, so a terrible beauty streams from God.

23 "Mighty God! Far beyond our reach! Unsurpassable in power and justice! It's unthinkable that he'd treat anyone unfairly.

24 So bow to him in deep reverence, one and all! If you're wise, you'll most certainly worship him."

Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.