Job 34 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Then Elihu continued talking. He said:

² “Listen to the things I say,\par you wise men.\par Pay attention to me,\par you smart men.\par

³ Your tongue tastes the food it touches.\par And your ear tests the words it hears.\par

⁴ So, let us test these arguments\par and decide for ourselves what is right.\par Together we will learn what is good.\par

⁵ Job says,\par ‘I, Job, am innocent.\par And God is not fair to me.\par

⁶ I am innocent,\par but the judgment against me\par says that I am a liar.\par I am innocent,\par but I have been hurt very badly.’\par

⁷ “Is there any other person like Job?\par Job does not care if you insult him.\par

⁸ Job is friends with bad people.\par Job likes to be with evil people.\par

⁹ Why do I say that?\par Because Job says,\par ‘A person will gain nothing\par if he tries to please God.’\par

¹⁰ “You men can understand,\par so listen to me.\par God would never do what is evil!\par God All-Powerful would never do wrong!\par

¹¹ God will pay a person back\par for the things that person has done.\par God gives people what they deserve.\par

¹² This is the truth,\par God won’t do wrong.\par God All-Powerful will always be fair.\par

¹³ No person chose God to be\par in charge over the earth.\par No one gave God responsibility\par for the whole world.\par \{God created everything\par and he has always been in control.\}\par

¹⁴ If God decided to take his spirit\par and his breath of life away from people,\par

¹⁵ then all the people on earth would die.\par All people would become dust again.\par

¹⁶ “If you men are wise,\par then you will listen to what I say.\par

¹⁷ A person that hates to be fair\par can’t be a ruler.\par Job, God is strong and good.\par Do you think you can judge him guilty?\par

¹⁸ God is the One who says to kings,\par ‘You are worthless!’\par God says to leaders,\par ‘You are evil!’\par

¹⁹ God does not love leaders\par more than other people.\par And God does not love rich people\par more that poor people.\par Why? Because God made every person.\par

²⁰ People can suddenly die,\par in the middle of the night.\par People become sick and pass away.\par Even powerful people die\par for no apparent reason.\par

²¹ “God watches what people do.\par God knows every step a person takes.\par

²² There is no place dark enough\par for evil people to hide from God.\par

²³ God does not need to pick a time\par to test people some more.\par God does not need to bring people\par in front of him to be judged.\par

²⁴ If even powerful people do bad things\par God does not need to ask questions.\par God will simply destroy those people,\par and choose other people to be leaders.\par

²⁵ So God knows what people do.\par That is why God will defeat evil people\par over night and destroy them.\par

²⁶ God will punish the bad people\par because of the evil things they did.\par And God will punish those people\par where other people can see it happen.\par

²⁷ Why? Because the bad people\par stopped obeying God.\par And those bad people didn’t care\par about doing what God wants.\par

²⁸ Those bad people hurt poor people,\par and made them cry to God for help.\par And God hears that cry for help.\par

²⁹ But if God decides not to help them,\par then no person can judge God guilty.\par If God hides himself from people,\par then no person can find him.\par God is the ruler over people and nations.\par

³⁰ And if a ruler causes people to sin,\par then God will remove him from power.\par

³¹ That will happen unless he says to God,\par ‘I am guilty.\par I won’t sin any more.\par

³² God, even if I can’t see \{you\},\par please teach me\par \{the right way to live\}.\par If I have done wrong,\par I won’t do it again.’\par

³³ “Job, you want God to reward you.\par But you refuse to change.\par Job, it is your decision, not mine.\par Tell me what you think.\par

³⁴ A wise person would listen to me.\par A wise person would say,\par

³⁵ ‘Job talks like an ignorant person.\par The things Job says don’t make sense!’\par

³⁶ I think Job should be punished even more!\par Why? Because Job answers us\par the way an evil person would answer.\par

³⁷ Job adds rebellion to his other sins.\par Job sits there in front of us and insults us\par and makes fun of God!”\par