33:1 “So, Iyov, please, hear my speech; listen to all my words.
33:2 Look, I am opening my mouth; the words are on the tip of my tongue.
33:3 I will say exactly what is on my mind; what my lips know, they will speak sincerely.
33:4 It is the Spirit of God that made me, the breath of Shaddai that gives me life.
33:5 So refute me, if you can; organize your words, take your stand!
33:6 Look, before God I’m the same as you; I too am fashioned from clay.
33:7 You don’t need to be afraid of me; my pressure on you will not be heavy.
33:8 “You spoke within my hearing, and I heard what you said —
33:9 ‘I am clean, without transgression; I am innocent, not guilty.
33:10 Yet [God] finds pretexts for accusing me; he regards me as his enemy.
33:11 He puts my feet in the stocks and watches wherever I go.’
33:12 “But in this, you are wrong; I will answer you: God is greater than any mortal.
33:13 Why do you strive against him? He will not defend his words —
33:14 God speaks once, even twice, and still the hearer misses the point.
33:15 “In a dream, in a vision at night, when slumber falls upon people, as they sleep in their beds,
33:16 he opens people’s ears and seals the matter with a warning,
33:17 to turn a person away from his action and protect a man from pride,
33:18 so that he will keep himself away from the pit and from perishing by the sword.
33:19 “He is also warned by pain when in bed, when all his bones are hurting;
33:20 so that he detests bread as well as richer food.
33:21 His flesh wastes away, till one can’t stand to look; his bones protrude and become unsightly.
33:22 His soul comes close to the pit and his life to those who bring death.
33:23 “If there is for him an angel, a mediator, one among a thousand, who can vouch for the man’s uprightness;
33:24 then [God] is gracious to him and says, ‘Redeem him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom.’
33:25 His flesh becomes fresher than that of a child, he returns to the days of his youth.
33:26 He prays to God and is accepted by him, so that he sees [God’s] face with joy, and [God] repays the man for his righteousness.
33:27 He declares before everyone, ‘I sinned; I perverted what was right, and it gained me nothing.
33:28 [God] redeemed me from going into the pit, and now my life sees light.’
33:29 God will accomplish all these things twice, even three times, with a man,
33:30 to bring him back from the pit, so that he can enjoy the light of the living.
33:31 “Pay attention, Iyov, listen to me; keep quiet, and I will keep speaking.
33:32 If you have something to say, answer me; speak, because I want to show that you are right.
33:33 If not, then listen to me; keep quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.”
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