1Elihu continued,
2“Put up with me a little longer.
I’ll show you I can speak up for God even more.
3I get my knowledge from far away.
I’ll announce that the God who made me is fair.
4You can be sure that my words are true.
One who has perfect knowledge is talking to you.
5“God is mighty, but he doesn’t hate people.
He’s mighty, and he knows exactly what he’s going to do.
6He doesn’t keep alive those who are evil.
Instead, he gives suffering people their rights.
7He watches over those who do what is right.
He puts them on thrones as if they were kings.
He honors them forever.
8But some people are held by chains.
Their pain ties them up like ropes.
9God tells them what they’ve done.
He tells them they’ve become proud and sinned against him.
10He makes them listen when he corrects them.
He commands them to turn away
from the evil things they’ve done.
11If they obey him and serve him,
they’ll enjoy a long and happy life.
Things will go well with them.
12But if they don’t listen to him,
they’ll be killed by swords.
They’ll die because they didn’t want to know anything about him.
13“Those whose hearts are ungodly are always angry.
Even when God puts them in chains,
they don’t cry out for help.
14They die while they are still young.
They die among the male prostitutes at the temples.
15But God saves suffering people while they suffer.
He speaks to them while they are hurting.
16“Job, he wants to take you out of the jaws of trouble.
He wants to bring you to a wide and safe place.
He’d like to seat you at a table that is loaded with the best food.
17But now you are loaded down
with the punishment sinners will receive.
You have been judged fairly.
18Be careful that no one tempts you with riches.
Don’t take money from people who want special favors,
no matter how much it is.
19Can your wealth keep you out of trouble?
Can all your mighty efforts keep you going?
20Don’t wish for the night to come
so you can drag people away from their homes.
21Be careful not to do what is evil.
You seem to like evil better than suffering!
22“God is honored because he is so powerful.
There is no teacher equal to him.
23Who has told him what he can do?
Who has said to him, ‘You have done what is wrong’?
24Remember to thank him for what he’s done.
People have praised him with their songs.
25Every human being has seen his work.
People can see it from far away.
26How great God is! We’ll never completely understand him.
We’ll never find out how long he has lived.
27“He makes mist rise from the water.
Then it falls as rain into the streams.
28The clouds pour down their moisture.
Rain showers fall on people everywhere.
29Who can understand how God spreads out the clouds?
Who can explain how he thunders from his home in heaven?
30See how he scatters his lightning around him!
He lights up the deepest parts of the ocean.
31The rain he sends makes things grow for the nations.
He provides them with plenty of food.
32He holds lightning bolts in his hands.
He commands them to strike their marks.
33His thunder announces that a storm is coming.
Even the cattle let us know it’s approaching.
Elihu Atukuza Wema Wa Mungu
1Elihu akaendelea kusema:
2“Nivumilie kidogo zaidi nami nitakuonyesha
kwamba yako mengi zaidi ya kusemwa kwa ajili ya Mungu.
336:3 Ay 4:17; 8:3Ninayapata maarifa yangu kutoka mbali,
nami nitamhesabia haki Muumba wangu.
436:4 Ay 6:28; 13:6; 37:5, 16, 23; 32:17Uwe na hakika kwamba maneno yangu si ya uongo;
mmoja aliye mkamilifu katika maarifa yuko pamoja na wewe.
536:5 Za 31:22; 69:33; Hes 23:19; Rum 11:29“Mungu ni mwenye nguvu, lakini hamdharau mwanadamu;
ni mwenye nguvu, naye ni thabiti katika shauri lake.
636:6 Ay 8:22; 4:10Hawaachi waovu waendelee kuishi,
bali huwapa walioteswa haki yao.
736:7 Za 34:15; 113:8; Mt 6:18; Isa 22:23Yeye haondoi macho yake kwa wenye haki;
huwaketisha penye viti vya enzi pamoja na wafalme
na kuwatukuza milele.
836:8 2Sam 3:34; 2Fal 23:33Lakini ikiwa watu wamefungwa kwenye minyororo,
wakiwa wameshikiliwa na kamba za mateso,
936:9 Ay 15:25huwaonyesha yale waliyoyatenda,
kwamba wametenda dhambi kwa majivuno.
1036:10 Ay 33:16; 2Fal 17:13; Ay 5:17Huwafanya wao kusikia maonyo,
na huwaagiza kutubu uovu wao.
1136:11 Kut 28:1; Hag 1:12; Isa 1; 19Kama wakitii na kumtumikia,
wataishi siku zao zilizobaki katika mafanikio,
na miaka yao katika utoshelevu.
1236:12 Law 26:38; Ay 15:22; 4:21; Efe 4:18Lakini wasiposikiliza,
wataangamia kwa upanga,
nao watakufa pasipo maarifa.
1336:13 Ay 15:12; Rum 2:5; Ay 5:2; 4:17; Amo 4:11“Wasiomcha Mungu moyoni mwao huficha chuki;
hata anapowafunga, hawamwombi msaada.
1436:14 Kum 23:17Wanakufa wangali vijana,
miongoni mwa wanaume hanithi wa mahali pa kuabudia miungu.
1536:15 Ay 5:15; 2Kor 12:10; Ay 33:16; 34:33Bali wao wanaoteseka huwaokoa katika mateso yao,
na kuzungumza nao katika dhiki zao.
1636:16 Hos 2:14; Za 23:5; 78:19“Yeye anakubembeleza utoke katika mataya ya dhiki,
ili kukuweka mahali palipo na nafasi mbali na kizuizi,
hadi kwenye meza yako ya faraja iliyojaa vyakula vizuri.
1736:17 Ay 20:29; 22:11Lakini sasa umelemewa na hukumu kwa ajili ya uovu;
hukumu na haki vimekukamata.
1836:18 Kut 23:8; Amo 5:12; Ay 34:33Uwe mwangalifu ili yeyote asikushawishi kwa utajiri;
usipotoshwe kwa fungu kubwa la rushwa.
1936:19 Za 49:6; Yer 9:23Je, utajiri wako hata nguvu zako nyingi
vinaweza kukusaidia usiingie kwenye dhiki?
2036:20 Ay 34:20-25Usiutamani usiku uje,
ili uwaburute watu mbali na nyumba zao.
2136:21 Ay 34:33; Za 66:18; Ebr 11:25Jihadhari usigeukie uovu,
ambao unaupenda zaidi kuliko mateso.
2236:22 Isa 40:13; Rum 11:34“Mungu ametukuzwa katika nguvu zake.
Ni nani aliye mwalimu kama yeye?
2336:23 Ay 34:10, 13; Rum 11:33; Mwa 18:25; Kum 32:4Ni nani aliyemwelekeza katika njia zake,
au kumwambia, ‘Wewe umetenda yasiyo sawa’?
2436:24 1Nya 16:24; Za 35:27; 59:16; Ufu 15:3Kumbuka kuzitukuza kazi zake,
ambazo watu wamezisifu katika wimbo.
2536:25 Rum 1:20Wanadamu wote wameiona;
watu wanaikazia macho kwa mbali.
2636:26 1Kor 13:12; Mwa 21:33; Ebr 1:12Tazama jinsi Mungu alivyo mkuu,
kupita ufahamu wetu!
Hesabu ya miaka yake haitafutiki.
2736:27 2Sam 1:21; Za 147:8“Yeye huvuta juu matone ya maji,
ayachujayo kama mvua kutoka kwenye vijito;
2836:28 Ay 22:11; Mt 5:45mawingu huangusha chini maji yake,
nayo mvua nyingi huwanyeshea wanadamu.
2936:29 Mit 8:28; Isa 40:22Ni nani ajuaye jinsi ayatandazavyo mawingu,
jinsi angurumavyo kutoka hemani mwake.
3036:30 Kut 19:16; Yer 10:13; Hab 3:11; Isa 51:10; Za 18:12, 14; 97:4Tazama jinsi anavyotandaza umeme wa radi kumzunguka,
naye huvifunika vilindi vya bahari.
3136:31 1Fal 17:1; Amo 4:7-8; Isa 30:23; Mdo 14:17Hivi ndivyo atawalavyo mataifa,
na kuwapa chakula kwa wingi.
3236:32 Ay 28:24; Za 18:14Huujaza mkono wake kwa umeme wa radi,
na kuuagiza kulenga shabaha yake.
33Ngurumo zake hutangaza dhoruba inayokuja;
hata mifugo hujulisha kukaribia kwake.36:33 Au: hutangaza kuja kwake.
