Job 32:1-13

Job 31 Job 33

Job 32:1-13 New King James Version (NKJV)

Elihu Contradicts Job’s Friends

32 So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. ²Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. ³Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

⁴Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited ^[a]to speak to Job. ⁵When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.

⁶So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said:

“I am young in years, and you are very old;
Therefore I was afraid,
And dared not declare my opinion to you.
⁷I said, ^[b]‘Age should speak,
And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’
⁸But there is a spirit in man,
And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
⁹Great^[c] men are not always wise,
Nor do the aged always understand justice.

¹⁰“Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me,
I also will declare my opinion.’
¹¹Indeed I waited for your words,
I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.
¹²I paid close attention to you;
And surely not one of you convinced Job,
Or answered his words—
¹³Lest you say,
‘We have found wisdom’;
God will vanquish him, not man.