Job 32
Eliu, a younger man, becomes angry with Job for justifying himself and with Job's friends for failing to provide a suitable response. Eliu believes that wisdom is not solely the domain of the aged, but rather it is the inspiration of the Almighty that gives understanding. He decides to speak up, feeling that he has endured Job's words and his friends' arguments long enough, and is now compelled to share his own wisdom. Eliu is driven to speak by a sense of urgency, feeling that he must express himself before his life is taken away.
But these three men ceased to answer Job, because he considered himself justifiedAnd Eliu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram, was angry and indignant. But he was angry against Job because he described himself to be just in the presence of GodMoreover, he was indignant with his friends because they had not found a reasonable response, except in so far as they condemned JobTherefore, Eliu waited while Job was talking, for these were his elders that were speakingBut when he saw that these three were not able to respond, he was extremely angryAnd so Eliu the son of Barachel the Buzite responded by saying: I am younger in years, and you are more ancient; therefore, I kept my head low, for I was afraid to reveal to you my opinionFor I had hoped that greater age would speak, and that a multitude of years would teach wisdomBut I see now that there is only breath in men, and that it is the inspiration of the Almighty that gives understandingThe wise are not the aged, nor do the elders understand judgmentTherefore, I will speak. Listen to me, and so I will show you my wisdomFor I have endured your words; I have paid attention to your deliberations, while you were being argumentative with wordsAnd as long as I supposed that you were saying something, I considered; but now I see that there is none of you that is able to argue with Job and to respond to his wordsSo that you will not say, "We have found wisdom," God has thrown him down, not manHe has said nothing to me, and I will not respond to him according to your wordsThen they were filled with dread, and so they no longer responded, and they withdrew from their speechmakingTherefore, because I have waited and they have not been speaking, for they stood firm and did not respond at allI also will answer in my turn, and I will reveal my knowledgeFor I am full of words, and the feeling in my gut inspires meYes, my stomach is like fermenting wine without a vent, which bursts the new containersI should speak, but I will also breathe a little; I will open my lips, and I will answerI will not esteem the reputation of a man, and I will not equate God with manFor I do not know how long I will continue, and whether, after a while, my Maker might take me away
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