Your God Is Too Small

¹ Elihu continued:

² "Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
that there is more to be said in God's behalf.

³ I get my knowledge from afar;
I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

⁴ Be assured that my words are not false;
one perfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵ "God is mighty, but does not despise men;
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.

⁶ He does not keep the wicked alive
but gives the afflicted their rights.

⁷ He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
he enthrones them with kings
and exalts them forever.

⁸ But if men are bound in chains,
held fast by cords of affliction,

⁹ he tells them what they have done—
that they have sinned arrogantly.

¹⁰ He makes them listen to correction
and commands them to repent of their evil.

¹¹ If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
and their years in contentment.

¹² But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the sword
and die without knowledge.

¹³ "The godless in heart harbor resentment;
even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.

¹⁴ They die in their youth,
among male prostitutes of the shrines.

¹⁵ But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction.

¹⁶ "He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place free from restriction,
to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.

¹⁷ But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;
judgment and justice have taken hold of you.

¹⁸ Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

¹⁹ Would your wealth
or even all your mighty efforts
sustain you so you would not be in distress?

²⁰ Do not long for the night,
to drag people away from their homes.

²¹ Beware of turning to evil,
which you seem to prefer to affliction.

²² "God is exalted in his power.
Who is a teacher like him?

²³ Who has prescribed his ways for him,
or said to him, 'You have done wrong'?

²⁴ Remember to extol his work,
which men have praised in song.

²⁵ All mankind has seen it;
men gaze on it from afar.

²⁶ How great is God—beyond our understanding!
The number of his years is past finding out.

²⁷ "He draws up the drops of water,
which distill as rain to the streams ;

²⁸ the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers fall on mankind.

²⁹ Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
how he thunders from his pavilion?

³⁰ See how he scatters his lightning about him,
bathing the depths of the sea.

³¹ This is the way he governs the nations
and provides food in abundance.

³² He fills his hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.

³³ His thunder announces the coming storm;
even the cattle make known its approach.

¹ "At this my heart pounds
and leaps from its place.

² Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

³ He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
and sends it to the ends of the earth.

⁴ After that comes the sound of his roar;
he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.

⁵ God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.

⁶ He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'
and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'

⁷ So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labor.

⁸ The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.

⁹ The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.

¹⁰ The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.

¹¹ He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.

¹² At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.

¹³ He brings the clouds to punish men,
or to water his earth and show his love.

¹⁴ "Listen to this, Job;
stop and consider God's wonders.

¹⁵ Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning flash?

¹⁶ Do you know how the clouds hang poised,
those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?

¹⁷ You who swelter in your clothes
when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

¹⁸ can you join him in spreading out the skies,
hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

¹⁹ "Tell us what we should say to him;
we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

²⁰ Should he be told that I want to speak?
Would any man ask to be swallowed up?

²¹ Now no one can look at the sun,
bright as it is in the skies
after the wind has swept them clean.

²² Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
God comes in awesome majesty.

²³ The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

²⁴ Therefore, men revere him,
for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? "

New International Version