Dual Panel1Elihu lit into Job again:
2"Does this kind of thing make any sense? First you say, 'I'm perfectly innocent before God.'
3And then you say, 'It doesn't make a bit of difference whether I've sinned or not.'
4"Well, I'm going to show you that you don't know what you're talking about, neither you nor your friends.
5Look up at the sky. Take a long hard look. See those clouds towering above you?
6If you sin, what difference could that make to God? No matter how much you sin, will it matter to him?
7Even if you're good, what would God get out of that? Do you think he's dependent on your accomplishments?
8The only ones who care whether you're good or bad are your family and friends and neighbors. God's not dependent on your behavior.
9"When times get bad, people cry out for help. They cry for relief from being kicked around,
10But never give God a thought when things go well, when God puts spontaneous songs in their hearts,
11When God sets out the entire creation as a science classroom, using birds and beasts to teach wisdom.
12People are arrogantly indifferent to God--until, of course, they're in trouble, and then God is indifferent to them.
13There's nothing behind such prayers except panic; the Almighty pays them no mind.
14So why would he notice you just because you say you're tired of waiting to be heard,
15Or waiting for him to get good and angry and do something about the world's problems?
16"Job, you talk sheer nonsense--nonstop nonsense!"