Job 32:1-22 Elihu Tells Why He Waited

Elihu Tells Why He Waited

Job 32:1-22                                  Book of Job [in Smaller Chunks]

So, these 3 men [stopped answering] Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then, the [anger] of Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, [from] the [family] of Ram, [grew] against Job, because [Job] justified himself, rather than God.

Also, [Elihu’s] anger grew against his 3 friends, because they had found no answer, & [still] had condemned Job. Now, Elihu had waited [until] Job had spoken, because they were [older] than he. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the [mouths] of these 3 men, then his [anger grew.]

And Elihu, [Barachel’s] son, the Buzite, answered & said, I am young, & you are very old. [For this reason,] I was afraid, & [dared] not [declare to] you [my] opinion. I said, [Those with advanced] [age,] & the multitude of years should speak, & teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man, & the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding. [1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon [extremely much] wisdom, & understanding, & a [huge] heart even [like] the sand that is on the seashore.]

Great men are not always wise. Neither do the aged [always] understand judgement, [a.k.a. justice.] [1 Corinthians 1:26-27 For [consider] your calling, brethren, that not many wise, mighty, & noble men are called after [worldly] flesh. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to [confuse] the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to [confuse those who] are mighty.]

Therefore, I said, [Listen] to me. I will also [declare my] opinion. [See,] I waited for your words, & I [listened] to your reasons, [while] you [pondered] what to say. [Yes,] I [paid attention] to you, & [saw,] there [were] none of you, [who] convinced Job, or [who answered] his words, [a.k.a. comments.]

Lest you shall say, We have found out wisdom, & God [thrusts Job down], not man. [Proverbs 2:6-7 For the Lord [gives] wisdom, & [from] His mouth [comes] knowledge, & understanding. He [stores] up wisdom for the righteous. He is a [shield] to [those who] walk, [a.k.a. follow,] uprightly.]

Now [Job hasn't] directed his words against me. Neither will I answer [Job] with your [accusatory] speeches. They were amazed, & they [no longer] answered, & they [stopped] speaking.

When I waited, (for, they [didn't speak], but stood still, and no [longer] answered.) I said, I will also [declare] my part, [a.k.a. portion,] [of the questions.] Also, I will [declare my opinions,] [as well.] For I am full of matter, [a.k.a. substance,] but the spirit within me [limits] me.

[Look,] my [stomach] is [churning, like] wine, [that] has no vent. It is ready to burst, like [newly] [opened] bottles. I will speak, [so] that I may be [relieved.] I will open my lips & answer.

I pray [that] you not let me [show favoritism to] any person, & neither let me give flattering titles to [men.] For I [don't] know [how] to give flattering titles. In doing so, my Maker would soon take me away. [1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on the Father, Who [Judges,] without [partiality] to [people,] & [Judges] according to every man's work, [a.k.a. deeds,] [then,] pass the time of your [temporary stay] here in fear, [a.k.a. respect,] [for the Lord God.]

Job 31:1-40 Job Wants a Fair Judgment

Job Wants a Fair Judgment

Job 31:1-40                                 Book of Job [in Smaller Chunks]

I made a covenant, [a.k.a. contract,] [to be faithful, but went astray] with [my] eyes. Then, why should I [dare to] think upon a maid [that I saw?] For what portion [from] God is there from above? And what inheritance [is there] [from] the Almighty, from on high? [Job 20:29 This is the portion [for] a wicked man from God, & the heritage appointed to him by God.]

Isn't destruction [for] the wicked? And a strange punishment [for those who work sinfully?] [Doesn't God] see my ways, & count all my steps?

If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot [has hurried] to [be] [deceitful,] Let me be weighed in [a fair] balance, [a.k.a. scale, so] that God may know [my] integrity. [Job 27:5-6 God forbid that I should justify you. I will not remove [my] integrity from me, [until] I die. I hold [tight to] my righteousness, & won't let it go. My heart shall not [disgrace] me as long as I live.]

If my [steps] have turned [astray,] & [my] heart walked, [a.k.a. followed,] after [my] eyes, & if any blot, [a.k.a. stain, has clung] to [my] hands; then, let me sow [crops,] & let another [person] eat [it.] [Yes,] let my [children] be [uprooted.]

If [my] heart [has] been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid [in] wait at my neighbor's door [to sneak into his house when he's not there;] Then, let my wife grind, [a.k.a. be intimate, with] another, & others [be intimate with] her, [as well.] [Jeremiah 8:9-10 The wise men are ashamed, & they are [discouraged,] & [captured.] [Look,] they have rejected the Word of the Lord, & what wisdom is in them? Therefore, I will give their wives to others, & their fields to [those who] shall inherit them. For everyone from the [powerless,] even to the [powerful,] is given to [greed,] from the prophet, even to the priest, & everyone [deals] falsely, [a.k.a. deceitfully.]

For this is a [destable] crime; [yes,] it is a [sin punishable] by the judges. For [adultery] is a fire that [consumes,] [& leads] to destruction, & would [uproot] all [my] increase.

If I [despised] the [case] of my [male or female servants,] when they [complained against] me, then, what shall I do, when God rises up [against this evil?] And when [God visits] [this issue,] what shall I answer Him?

Didn't He [Who] made me in the womb [also] make him? And didn't One [form] us in the womb? If I have withheld their desire from the poor, or have caused the eyes of the widow to [grow dim;] or have eaten my [small amount of food by] myself, alone, [when] the fatherless [haven't] eaten [from it.]

(For from my youth, [the fatherless] was brought up with me, [like] with a father, & from my mother's womb, I have guided the [widow:]) If I have seen any perish for [lack] of clothing, or any poor without [a] covering;

If his [heart hasn't] blessed me, & if he weren't warmed by the fleece [covering made from] my sheep; If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw [that I had] help [at] the gate:

Then, let [my] arm [be dislocated] from my shoulder blade, & [my] arm be broken from the [bone's] [socket.] For destruction from God [terrified] me, & [because] of His [majesty,] I couldn't endure.

If I have made my hope, gold; or have said to the fine gold, [I have] confidence in you; If I rejoiced, because my wealth was [large,] & because [my] hand had gotten much [wealth;]

[Job 1:9-10 Then Satan answered the Lord & said, Does Job fear, [a.k.a. respect,] God for [nothing?] Haven't you made a hedge [around Job, & around] his house, & [around] everything that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, & his [possessions have] increased in the land.]

If I [saw] the sun when it shined, or the moon [while] walking in [its] brightness;

[Deuteronomy 4:19 And lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, & when you see the sun, the moon, & the stars, even all the host of heaven, & should be [drawn] to worship them, & serve them, which the Lord, your God, has [separated,] & given to all nations under the whole heaven.]

And my heart has been secretly [lured,] or my mouth has kissed my [own] hand: [Proverbs 30:8 Remove far from me: vanity & lies. Give me neither poverty, nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me.] [These] were also [sins] to be punished by the Judge. For I [would] have denied the God, [Who] is above.

If I [rejoiced] at the destruction of him, [who] hated me, or [elevated] myself when evil found him; Neither [would] I have [allowed] my mouth to sin by wishing a curse [upon] his soul.

[Not even] if the men of my [tent] said, Oh, we can’t be satisfied [unless] we had [the meat] of his flesh [to eat.] The strangers didn’t lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the [traveler.] If I [hid my sins like] Adam, by hiding [my sins in my heart.]

Did I fear a [large] multitude, or did the [disapproval] of families terrify me, [so] that I kept [silent,] & [didn't go] out of the door?

[Exodus 23:1-2 You shall not raise a false report. [Don't] put your hand with the wicked to be an [untruthful] witness. You shall not follow a multitude to do evil. Neither shall you speak in a [case to divert justice.]

Oh, that [someone] would hear me! [See,] my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, & that [my enemy] had written a book. [Job 16:19 Also [look] now, my witness is in heaven, & my record is on high.]

Surely, I would take it upon my shoulder, & [tie it like] a crown [for] me. I would declare to [God] the number of my steps, [like] a prince, & I would go [close] to Him.

If my land [cries] [out] against me, or the furrows [of the field] [also] complain; If I have [its] fruit without [paying] money, or have caused [its] owners to lose their [livelihood:]

[James 5:4 [Look,] the [wages] which you kept back [from] the [laborers,] by fraud, who have [harvested] your fields, [cry] [out.] And the cries of [those who] have [harvested have] entered the ears of the Lord of [the] Sabbath.]

Let thistles grow instead of wheat, & [harmful weeds] [grow in your fields] instead of barley. The words of Job [have] ended.

Job 30:1-31 Job Tells What It Is Like Now

Job Tells What It Is Like Now

Job 30:1-31                                 Book of Job [in Smaller Chunks]

But now, [those who] are younger than I, [ridicule] me, whose fathers I would have [looked down upon] to [even consider putting them] with my [sheep] dogs of my flock. [Yet, to what purpose] might the strength of their hands [benefit] me, in whom was [ruined by] old age?

They were [bony, because of] famine, & [lack] [of food;] fleeing into the wilderness in [a previous] time, desolate & [ruined.] [Those] who cut the mallows by the bushes, & juniper roots for their meat, [a.k.a. food.]

They were driven [out] from among men, ([those who] cried [out] after them [like] after a thief;) to [live] in the cliffs [above] the valleys, in caves of the earth, & in the rocks. They brayed among the bushes, & were [huddled] together under the [sticker bushes.]

They were children of fools, [a.k.a. those lacking good judgment, yes] children of men [of low morals.] They were [the most evil on] the earth. And now, I am their byword, [they sing about.] [Psalm 69:12 [Those who] sit in the gate speak against me, & I was the song of drunkards.]

They [detest] Me, & they flee far from Me, & [don’t refrain] & spit in My face. Because [God has let loose] My cord [tethered to Him,] & afflicted Me, they have also let loose [of their restraint, like a] bridle, before Me.

[Matthew 26:67-68 Then, they spit in His face, & [hit] Him, & others [struck] Him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy to us, You, Christ, Who is he, [who struck] You?]

The youth rise [up on] my right [side,] & push away my feet. And they [rise] up against me [with] their [destructive] ways. They [interfere with] my path, & [although] they have no [helpers,] they [continue to put] forward my calamity.

They came upon me [like] wide breaking [waves] of [water.] In desolation, they rolled themselves upon me. Terrors [overflow] me, & they pursue my soul, [a.k.a. life, like] [the passing] wind, & my [prosperity passes] away [like] a cloud. [Psalm 103:15-16 As for man, his days are [like] grass, [like] a flower of the field, so he [flourishes.] For the wind [passes] over it, & it is gone. And the place [of it] shall no [longer] [be] [known.]

The days of affliction have taken hold [of] me, & now my [life] is poured out [of] me. In the night [time,] my bones [pierce] me, & my [aching] [muscles have] no rest. The great [strength] of my disease [has] changed, [like I change] my garment, & it [chokes] me [around my neck like] the collar of my coat.

He [has thrown] me into the [mud,] & I [have] become like dust & ashes.  I cry [out] unto You & You don't hear me. I stand up [to You] & You [don't regard] me. [Job 42:6 Therefore, I [loathe] myself, & repent in dust & ashes.]

You [have] become cruel [in opposition] against me, with Your strong hand. You [lift] me up to the wind, & You [make] me ride upon it, & my [possessions disappear.] For I know that You [will] bring me to death, to the [place] appointed for all [the] living. [Revelation 11:17-19 Saying, We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, [Who Is,] & [Was,] & [Is] to come, because You [have] taken to [Yourself,] Your great power, & [have ruled.] And the nations were angry, & Your wrath [has] come, & the time of the dead, [so] that they should be judged, & that You [should] give reward to: Your servants, the prophets, the saints, & [those who] fear, [a.k.a. respect,] Your Name, [powerless, & powerful,] & [should] destroy [those who] [devastate] the earth.]

[However,] He won't stretch His hand out to the grave, [although] they cry [out  about] His destruction. Didn't I [cry out] for him, [who] was in trouble? Wasn't my soul grieved for the poor?

When I looked for good, then evil came to me. And when I waited for Light, [only] darkness came there. [Jeremiah 8:15 We looked for peace, & a time for health, but no good came, & [only saw] trouble.]

My [stomach churned,] & [didn't rest.] The days of affliction prevented me [from having rest.] I went without the [sunlight,] & [continued] mourning. [1 John 1:7 If we walk in the Light, [like] He is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, & the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.]

And I cried [out] in the congregation. I am a brother to [jackals,] & the companion [of] owls. [Psalm 44:18-19 Our heat [hasn’t] turned back, neither have our steps [departed] from Your way; [although] You have [sorely] broken us in the place of [jackals,] & [have] covered us with the shadow of death.]

My skin [grows] black upon me, & my bones are burned with heat. [Lamentations 4:7-9 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, & they were whiter than milk. [Their bodies] were more ruddy than rubies, & their polishing was [from sapphires.] Their [appearance] is blacker than a coal, & they aren't known in the streets.

Their skin [clings] to their bones. [Their skin] is withered, & it [has] become [bony] like a stick. [Those who are killed] with the sword are better than [those who die, because of] hunger. For these [long for,] & [are struck down for lack] of the fruits of the field.]

Also, my harp [has changed] to [music for] mourning, & my [flute] into the [sound] of [those who] weep.

Job 29:1-25 Job Continues His Parable About the Past

Job Continues His Parable About the Past

Job 29:1-25                                  Book of Job [in Smaller Chunks]

Job [also] continued his parable, & said, Oh, [if only] I were [like] in the [previous] months, [like during] the days when God preserved, [a.k.a. kept me safe.] When [God’s] candle shined upon my head, & when I walked through darkness by His light.

[Job 1:1-3 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. And that man was perfect, [a.k.a. blameless,] & upright. And [Someone who] feared, [a.k.a. respected,] God, & [avoided] [what was] evil. And there were: 7 sons, & 3 daughters born to him. [Job's] substance, [a.k.a. possessions,] also [were:] 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke, [a.k.a. pairs,] of oxen, 500 [female donkeys,] & a very [large] household. So that, this man was the greatest of all the men of the East.]

[Like] I was [during] the days of my youth, when the secret [ways] of God was upon my [tent.] When the Almighty was [still] with me, & when my children were [still] [around] me.

[Like] when I [was prosperous,] & I washed my steps with butter, & the rock poured out rivers of oil [to] me. When I went through the city, out to the gate, when I prepared my seat [on] the street!

The young men saw me, & hid themselves. And the aged arose, & stood up [in respect.] The princes, [a.k.a. rulers, held back] [from] talking, & [covered] their mouth [with] their hand. The nobles held their peace, & their tongue [stuck] to the roof of their mouth.

When [their] [ears listened to] me, then [I] [was] blessed [by being aware of] it. And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: because I delivered the: poor [who] cried [out,] the fatherless, & [those who] had [no one] to help [them.]

[Those who were] ready to perish, came & [blessed] me. And I [made] the widow's heart sing for joy. I put on righteousness, & it clothed me. My judgment, [a.k.a. justice,] was [like] a robe & a [crown.] [Psalm 23:3 [The Lord] restores my oil. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.]

I was [like] eyes [for] the blind, & I was [like] feet [for] the lame. I was [like] a father to the poor, & I [researched] the cause [that] I [didn’t know.] [Proverbs 29:7 The righteous consider the cause of the poor; but the wicked [acted like] they didn't know [about] it.]

And I [broke] the jaws of the wicked, & [snacked the plunder] out of his teeth. Then, I said, I shall die in my nest, & I shall multiply my days [like] the [amount of] sand.

My root was spread out by the waters, & the dew lay all night upon my branch. My glory was fresh [within] me, & my bow, in my hand was renewed, [a.k.a. restored.]

[Job 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, & the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from Whom is the Shepherd, the [Rock] of Israel.)]

Men [listened] to me, & waited, & kept [silent for] my [advice.] After my words, they [didn't speak] again. And [what I said dawned] upon them. And they waited for me [like they do] for the rain, & they opened their [mouths] wide as [if to catch some of] the [spring] rain.

If I laughed [at] them, they [didn't] believe it. They [weren't] [downcast] [by] the light of my [face.] I [helped] [choose] their [path,] & sat chief, [a.k.a leader,] & [lived like] a king in the army, [like someone who comforts] the mourners.