Job 37

Elihu continues to speak

1 ‘When I hear the noise of a storm like that,

I shake with fear.

2 Listen carefully to the sound of God's voice,

when he speaks like thunder.

3 He sends lightning across the whole sky.

Its light reaches everywhere on the earth.

4 After the lightning comes the sound of his voice.

He roars like the great sound of thunder.

When he speaks like that,

the storm never stops.

5 When God's voice speaks,

he causes wonderful things to happen.

He does great things that we cannot understand.

6 He tells the snow to fall to the earth.

He tells the rain to pour down

and make the ground wet.

7 He does that to show people what he can do.

He causes everyone to stop their own work.

8 The wild animals have to hide in a safe place.

They have to stay in their homes.

9 The strong wind of a storm comes from the place where it starts.

Cold winds blow strongly from the north.

10 The cold wind is like God's breath.

He causes ice to cover the rivers and the lakes.

11 He fills the clouds with lots of water.

He sends the lightning through the clouds.

12 The clouds move around across the whole earth.

They go wherever God sends them.

He tells them what they must do.

13 He may send a storm as punishment for his land.

Or he may send it to show his love for his people.

14 Listen carefully to what I am telling you, Job.

Stop and think about the wonderful things that God does.

15 Do you know how God commands the storms?

Do you know how he sends the bright lightning from the clouds?

16 Can you explain how the clouds hang in the sky?

God knows everything perfectly

and he does these wonderful things.

17 When the hot wind blows from the south,

nothing moves on the earth.

Your body is too hot in the clothes that you wear.

18 God puts the clouds across the whole sky,

like a metal mirror that shines brightly.

Can you also do that? No!

19 Tell us, Job, what things we should say to God.

We cannot argue with him,

because our minds are in a dark place.

20 Should I tell God that I want to speak to him?

That would be the end of me!

21 Now the wind has blown all the clouds away.

The sun shines brightly in the sky.

It is too bright for us to look at.

22 God comes with his bright glory from the north!

His glory is all around him.

It makes us afraid.

23 Almighty God is so great that we cannot come near to him.

He is very powerful.

But he always does what is right and fair.

He is not cruel to people.

24 So people respect God with fear.

He does not listen to those who think that they are wise.’