| 1Then Elihu raised his voice and said, |
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אוַיַּ֥עַן אֱלִיה֗וּ וַיֹּֽאמַר: |
| 2"Do you consider this to be customary, what you said,-'My righteousness is greater than [that of] God'? |
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בהֲזֹאת חָשַׁ֣בְתָּ לְמִשְׁפָּ֑ט אָ֜מַ֗רְתָּ צִדְקִ֥י מֵאֵֽל: |
| Do you consider this to be customary. that this is the custom of the creatures toward their Creator, what you said-‘My righteousness is greater than that of the Creator’? |
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הזאת חשבת למשפט.
שהוא משפט הבריות כנגד יוצרם אשר אמרת צדקי משל הבורא:
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| 3That you say, 'What will it benefit you? What profit will I have more than if I had sinned?' |
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גכִּֽי־תֹ֖אמַר מַה־יִּסְכָּן־לָ֑ךְ מָ֥ה אֹ֜עִ֗יל מֵֽחַטָּאתִֽי: |
| That you say, ‘What will it benefit you. ways of uprightness, and what profit will I have more than if I had sinned?’ |
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כי תאמר מה יסכן לך.
דרכי יושר מה אועיל בצדקתי יותר מחטאתי:
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| 4I will give you a reply, and your companions with you. |
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דאֲנִי אֲשִֽׁיבְךָ֣ מִלִּ֑ין וְֽאֶת־רֵעֶ֥יךָ עִמָּֽךְ: |
| and your companions with you. who remained silent at your words. |
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ואת רעיך עמך.
ששתקו על דבריך:
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| 5Gaze at the heavens and see, and view the skies, which are higher than you. |
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ההַבֵּ֣ט שָׁמַ֣יִם וּרְאֵ֑ה וְשׁ֥וּר שְׁ֜חָקִ֗ים גָּֽבְה֥וּ מִמֶּֽךָּ: |
| Gaze at the heavens. And since He is high and you are low, and He has no benefit from your wickedness and righteousness, why do you boast to Him about your righteousness? |
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הבט שמים.
ואחרי שהוא גבוה ואתה נמוך ואין לו תועלת ברשעך וצדקך למה תתפאר אליו בצדקך:
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| 6If you sinned, what do you do to Him, and if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him? |
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ואִם־חָ֖טָאתָ מַה־תִּפְעָל־בּ֑וֹ וְרַבּ֥וּ פְ֜שָׁעֶ֗יךָ מַה־תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לּֽוֹ: |
| 7If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He take from your hand? |
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זאִם־צָ֖דַקְתָּ מַה־תִּתֶּן־ל֑וֹ א֖וֹ מַה־מִיָּֽדְךָ֥ יִקָּֽח: |
| 8Your wickedness [affects] a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man. |
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חלְאִֽישׁ־כָּמ֥וֹךָ רִשְׁעֶ֑ךָ וּלְבֶן־אָ֜דָ֗ם צִדְקָתֶֽךָ: |
| a man like yourself. your wickedness or your righteousness can and will benefit. Observe [that there are] many wicked men. who,… |
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לאיש.
אשר כמוך יוכל ויועיל רשעך וצדקתך, ראה רשעים רבים אשר:
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| 9Because of the many oppressed ones, they cause [people] to cry out; they cry for help from the arm of the mighty. |
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טמֵרוֹב עֲשׁוּקִ֣ים יַזְעִ֑יקוּ יְשַׁוְּע֖וּ מִזְּר֣וֹעַ רַבִּֽים: |
| Because of the many oppressed ones. whom they oppress, they [the wicked] cause the creatures to cry out before Him, and the poor cry for help from the arm of those who oppress them. |
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מרוב עשוקים.
שהם עושקים יזעיקו את הבריות לפניו וישועו עניים מזרוע רבים העושקים אותם:
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| 10And he did not say, 'Where is God, my Maker, Who deals destruction at night, |
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יוְֽלֹֽא־אָמַ֗ר אַ֖יֵּה אֱל֣וֹהַּ עֹשָׂ֑י נֹתֵ֖ן זְמִר֣וֹת בַּלָּֽיְלָה: |
| And he did not say. The wicked man [did not say] ‘Where is God, my Maker?’ to fear Him. |
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ולא אמר.
הרשע איה אלוה עושי לירא מפניו:
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| Who deals destruction. Heb. זמירות like (Lev. 25:4), “nor prune (תזמר) your vineyard,” for He cuts off the wicked at night, e. g., Amraphel and his allies, Egypt, and Sennacherib. |
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נותן זמירות.
כמו כרמך לא תזמור (ויקרא כה) שמכרית את הרשעים בלילה כגון אמרפל וחביריו ומצרים וסנחרב:
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| 11Who teaches us [more] than the beasts of the Earth, and Who makes us wiser than the birds of the skies?' |
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יאמַלְּפֵנוּ מִבַּֽהֲמ֣וֹת אָ֑רֶץ וּמֵע֖וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם יְחַכְּמֵֽנוּ: |
| Who teaches us. He teaches us more wisdom than [He does] the beasts; i.e., He esteemed us and made us greater than the beasts and the birds. |
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מלפנו.
מלמדנו חכמה יותר מבהמו' כלו' חשבנו וגדלנו מבהמו' ומעוף:
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| 12There they cry out and He does not answer, because of the pride of the wicked. |
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יבשָׁ֣ם יִ֖צְעֲקוּ וְלֹ֣א יַֽעֲנֶ֑ה מִ֜פְּנֵ֗י גְּא֣וֹן רָעִֽים: |
| There they cry out. And see that there the poor cry out because of the pride of those who oppress them, and He does not answer, for… |
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שם יצעקו.
וראה אשר שם צועקים העניים מפני גאון העושקים אותם והוא אינו עונה:
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| 13Indeed, God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty see it. |
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יגאַךְ־שָׁ֖וְא לֹֽא־יִשְׁמַ֥ע | אֵ֑ל וְ֜שַׁדַּ֗י לֹ֣א יְשׁוּרֶֽנָּה: |
| Indeed, God will not hear vanity. immediately. |
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אך שוא לא ישמע.
מיד:
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| neither will the Almighty see it. to avenge it immediately, but He is longsuffering. |
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ושדי לא ישורנה.
להנקם מיד אלא מאריך אפו:
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| 14Surely you who say [that] you do not see Him should present your case before Him and wait for Him. |
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ידאַ֣ף כִּי־תֹ֖אמַר לֹ֣א תְשׁוּרֶ֑נּוּ דִּ֥ין לְ֜פָנָ֗יו וּתְח֥וֹלֵֽל לֽוֹ: |
| Surely you who say. Surely you, whose cry comes only because of Him, and you say and cry that you do not see Him to debate with Him. That is to say that those who complain and cry, He does not hasten to answer, yet you cry that you do not see Him? |
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אף כי תאמר.
כ"ש אתה שאין צעקתך באה כי אם על ידו ואתה תאמר ותזעק על אשר לא תשורנו להתווכח עמו כלומר אותם הקובלים וצועקים אינו ממהר לענות' ואתה תצעק שלא תשורנו:
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| present your case before Him. (Your arguments-absent in some editions) wherever He is. |
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דין לפניו.
(דברך סס"א) בכל מקום שהוא:
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| and wait. And hope for consolations. |
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ותחולל.
וקוה לתנחומין:
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| 15And now, what He visited [of] His wrath is nothing, and He did not know because of the great multiplicity. |
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טווְעַתָּ֗ה כִּי־אַ֖יִן פָּקַ֣ד אַפּ֑וֹ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע בַּפַּ֣שׁ מְאֹֽד: |
| And now. you should know that this visitation [of His Wrath upon you is nothing according [compared] to your many iniquities. |
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ועתה.
דע לך כי אין היא פקידת (אפו) זאת עליך אינה כלום לפי רוב עוונותך:
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| and He did not know because of the great multiplicity. Because of your many sins, the Creator acted as though He did not know them. |
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ולא ידע בפש מאד.
ברוב חטאך התנהג הבור' כאילו לא ידעם:
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| of the… multiplicity. Heb. בפש, an expression of multiplicity, like (Malachi 3:20), “and be fat (ופשתם),” and like (Jer. 50:11), “as you become fat (תפושו);” (Lev. 13:51), “that the mark has spread (פשה).” |
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בפש.
ל' רוב כמו ופשתם (מלאכי ג) וכמו כי תפושו וגו' (ירמיה נ, יא) כי פשה הנגע (ויקרא יג):
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| 16As for Job, he opens his mouth with vanity; he increases words without knowledge." |
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טזוְאִיּוֹב הֶ֣בֶל יִפְצֶה־פִּ֑יהוּ בִּבְלִי־דַ֜֗עַת מִלִּ֥ין יַכְבִּֽר: |
| he increases. Heb. כביר, an expression meaning, exceedingly. |
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יכביר.
ל' מאד:
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