JOB 34

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Elihu Vindicates God’s Justice  34:1 Then Elihu continued and said,

2 “Hear my words, you wise men,

And listen to me, you who know.

3 “For the ear tests words

As the palate tastes food.

4 “Let us choose for ourselves what is right;

Let us know among ourselves what is good.

5 “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,

But God has taken away my right;

6 Should I lie concerning my right?

My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

7 “What man is like Job,

Who drinks up derision like water,

8 Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,

And walks with wicked men?

9 “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

When he is pleased with God.’

10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.

Far be it from God to do wickedness,

And from the Almighty to do wrong.

11 “For He pays a man according to his work,

And makes him find it according to his way.

12 “Surely, God will not act wickedly,

And the Almighty will not pervert justice.

13 “Who gave Him authority over the earth?

And who has laid on Him the whole world?

14 “If He should determine to do so,

If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,

15 All flesh would perish together,

And man would return to dust.

16 “But if you have understanding, hear this;

Listen to the sound of my words.

17 “Shall one who hates justice rule?

And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,

18 Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’

To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’;

19 Who shows no partiality to princes

Nor regards the rich above the poor,

For they all are the work of His hands?

20 “In a moment they die, and at midnight

People are shaken and pass away,

And the mighty are taken away without a hand.

21 “For His eyes are upon the ways of a man,

And He sees all his steps.

22 “There is no darkness or deep shadow

Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

23 “For He does not need to consider a man further,

That he should go before God in judgment.

24 “He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,

And sets others in their place.

25 “Therefore He knows their works,

And He overthrows them in the night,

And they are crushed.

26 “He strikes them like the wicked

In a public place,

27 Because they turned aside from following Him,

And had no regard for any of His ways;

28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him,

And that He might hear the cry of the afflicted--

29 When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?

And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him,

That is, in regard to both nation and man?--

30 So that godless men would not rule

Nor be snares of the people.

31 “For has anyone said to God,

‘I have borne chastisement;

I will not offend anymore;

32 Teach me what I do not see;

If I have done iniquity,

I will not do it again’?

33 “Shall He recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it?

For you must choose, and not I;

Therefore declare what you know.

34 “Men of understanding will say to me,

And a wise man who hears me,

35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge,

And his words are without wisdom.

36 ‘Job ought to be tried to the limit,

Because he answers like wicked men.

37 ‘For he adds rebellion to his sin;

He claps his hands among us,

And multiplies his words against God.’”

ROMANS 3

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All the World Guilty  3:1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4 May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written,

“THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS,

AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.”

5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) 6 May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.
    9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,

WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,”

“THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;

14 “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;

15 “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,

16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,

17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”

18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

    19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Justification by Faith    21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
    27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.
    31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.