Teach us what we shall say to him is to be taken as Elihu’s sarcasm. Teach us translates the Hebrew “make us know.” Us refers to Elihu and others, probably the friends, but excludes Job, the person spoken to. Him refers to God. Dhorme changes this to “Tell me what we shall say to Him.”

In we cannot draw up our case, the verb has no object. The verb means “arrange, set in order,” as used in 33.5, where Good News Translation translates “prepare your arguments.” Revised Standard Version supplies our case, which suits the context well. Darkness in because of darkness may refer to the darkness of the minds of Elihu and the friends, or the darkness which conceals God from them. Good News Translation takes it in the former sense, “our minds are blank,” and places it before we cannot draw up our case, which is rendered as “we have nothing to say.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “Inform us! What should we say to him? We are in the dark and have nothing to report.” This offers a clear translation model. In translation “we are in the dark” may have to be expressed as “we know nothing” or “we are ignorant.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .