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32:1  Then Job’s three friends gave up trying to answer him, because he was so sure that he was innocent.
32:2  But there was a young man there named Elihu son of Barakel. He was a descendant of a man named Buz. Elihu was from the family of Ram. He became very angry because Job kept saying he was innocent—that he was right and God was wrong.
32:3  Elihu was also angry with Job’s three friends because they could not answer him, and yet they still considered him guilty of doing wrong.
32:4  Elihu was the youngest one there, so he had waited until everyone finished talking.
32:5  But when he saw that Job’s three friends had nothing more to say, his anger forced him to speak.
32:6  So here’s what Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: “I am only a young man, and you are all older. That is why I was afraid to tell you what I think.
32:7  I thought to myself, ‘Older people should speak first. They have lived many years, so they have learned many things.’
32:8  But it is the spirit in people, the breath from God All-Powerful, that makes them understand.
32:9  Old men are not the only wise people. They are not the only ones who understand what is right.
32:10  “So please listen to me, and I will tell you what I think.
32:11  I waited patiently while you men talked. I listened to the answers you gave as you searched for the right words.
32:12  I listened carefully to what you said. Not one of you proved Job wrong. Not one of you answered his arguments.
32:13  You men cannot say that you have found wisdom. The answer to Job’s arguments must come from God, not people.
32:14  Job was arguing with you, not me, so I will not use your arguments to answer him.
32:15  “Job, these men lost the argument. They don’t have anything more to say. They don’t have any more answers.
32:16  I waited for them to answer you. But now they are quiet. They stand there with nothing more to say.
32:17  So now I will give you my answer. Yes, I will tell you what I think.
32:18  I have so much to say that I cannot hold it in.
32:19  I feel like a jar of wine that has never been opened. I am like a new wineskin ready to burst.
32:20  I must speak so that I will feel better. I must answer your arguments.
32:21  I will treat you the same as I would treat anyone else. I will not praise you to win your favor.
32:22  I cannot treat one person better than another. If I did, God my Maker would punish me!