Old Testament · Poetry and wisdom

Job chapter 32

So the three men gave up answering Job, because .That is when Elihu son of Barachel — . He was angry at Job for putting himself in the right instead of God.He was angry at the three friends too, because they had come up with no answer and had gone on anyway.Elihu had waited before saying anything to Job, because every one of them had more years on him than he had.But when Elihu saw there was no answer left in the mouths of those three men, he got angry.So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite spoke up: I am young in years, and you are old men. That is why I — I was afraid to tell you what I think.I told myself, Let the years do the talking. Let a long stack of them teach wisdom.But no — a lives inside a human being, and the breath of is what makes anyone understand.It is not who turn out to be wise. It is not the gray heads who know what is right.So I say: listen to me. I will , me too.Look — I through your speeches. I listened for your good sense while you hunted around for something to say.I gave you my whole attention. And look — not one of you proved Job wrong. Not one of you answered what he actually said.Do not tell me, We have found the wisdom of it — only God can , not a man.He never lined his words up against me, and I am not going to answer him with your speeches.They are rattled. They have stopped answering. Words have packed up and left them.And am I supposed to keep waiting, now that they have quit talking, now that they just stand there with nothing left to say?I will take my turn and answer. I will tell you what I think, me too.Because I am packed full of words. has me pinned.Look at me — wine with no vent, about to split open.Let me talk, so I can breathe again. Let me open my lips and answer.I will not , and I will not to anyone.I would not know how to flatter anyway. If I did, the One who made me would sweep me off in a minute.