1Elihu continued,
2“Job, do you think it’s fair for you to say,
‘I am the one who is right, not God’?
3You ask him, ‘What good is it for me not to sin?
What do I get by not sinning?’
4“I’d like to reply to you
and to your friends who are with you.
5Look up at the heavens.
Observe the clouds that are high above you.
6If you sin, what does that mean to God?
If you sin many times, what does that do to him?
7If you do what is right, how does that help him?
What does he get from you?
8The evil things you do only hurt people like yourself.
The right things you do only help other human beings.
9“People cry out when they are treated badly.
They beg to be set free from the power of those who are over them.
10But no one says, ‘Where is the God who made me?
He gives us songs even during the night.
11He teaches us more than he teaches the wild animals.
He makes us wiser than the birds in the sky.’
12He doesn’t answer sinful people when they cry out to him.
That’s because they are so proud.
13In fact, God doesn’t listen to their empty cries.
The Mighty One doesn’t pay any attention to them.
14So he certainly won’t listen to you.
When you say you don’t see him, he won’t hear you.
He won’t listen when you state your case to him.
He won’t pay attention even if you wait for him.
15When you say his anger never punishes sin, he won’t hear you.
He won’t listen when you say he doesn’t pay any attention to evil.
16So you say things that don’t mean anything.
You use a lot of words,
but you don’t know what you are talking about.”
Gud svarer ikke de hovmodige
1Elihu fortsatte:
2„Job, er det rigtigt af dig at sige,
at du har ret, og at Gud har uret?
3Du spørger: ‚Hvad gavner det at leve retskaffent,
hvis man alligevel skal lide?
Hvorfor skal jeg straffes som en anden synder?’
4Hør efter, så skal jeg give dig mit svar,
og dine venner må også gerne lytte med.
5Se på himlen højt over dit hoved,
på skyerne, som overgår din forstand.
6Selv om du synder nok så mange gange,
mon der går skår af Guds almagt for det?
7Tror du, det er Gud, du gør en tjeneste
ved at leve et retskaffent liv?
8Nej, når du synder, går det ud over dig selv,
og når du gør noget godt, gavner det andre.
9Folk himler op om voldshandlinger,
råber om hjælp, når tyranner undertrykker dem.
10Men ingen siger: ‚Hvor er Gud vores Skaber,
han som får lovsang til at lyde i natten,
11som har gjort os klogere end dyrene
og visere end fuglene?’
12Og hvis folk endelig råber til Gud om hjælp,
svarer han dem ikke på grund af deres hovmod,
13for Gud lytter ikke til de indbildskes ord,
den Almægtige ænser dem ikke.
14Forvent ikke, at Gud svarer,
når du påstår, at han ikke er der,
eller hvis du siger, at du har forelagt ham sagen,
og nu er det hans tur til at komme med et udspil.
15Forvent heller ikke svar,
når du påstår, at han ikke straffer de skyldige,
og at han er ligeglad med ondskaben i verden.
16Job, det er grunden til, at Gud ikke svarer dig.
Du bruger masser af ord, men mangler indsigt.”
