Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?
Can a man be profitable to God? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.
3 Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous? Does He profit if your ways are blameless?
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Is it for your reverence that He rebukes you and enters into judgment against you?
Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is not your wickedness great? Are not your iniquities endless?
Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?
6 For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing.
For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.
7 You gave no water to the weary and withheld food from the famished,
Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 while the land belonged to a mighty man, and a man of honor lived on it.
But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.
9 You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
Widows hast thou sent empty away, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares surround you, and sudden peril terrifies you;
Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11 it is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods of waters cover thee.
12 Is not God as high as the heavens? Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are!
Is not God in the height of the heavens? And behold the summit of the stars: how exalted are they!
13 Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness?
And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us as He traverses the vault of heaven.’
Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens.
15 Will you stay on the ancient path that wicked men have trod?
Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden?
16 They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a flood.
Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;
17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’
Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?
18 But it was He who filled their houses with good things; so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
Yet he filled their houses with good. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent mock them:
The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn:
20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire has consumed their excess.’
Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?
21 Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.
Reconcile thyself now with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.
Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. If thou remove unrighteousness far from thy tents,
24 and consign your gold to the dust and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines,
And put the precious ore with the dust, and [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the torrents,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold and the finest silver for you.
Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore, and silver heaped up unto thee;
26 Surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.
Yea, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God:
27 You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;
28 Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.
And thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly.
When they are made low, then thou shalt say, Rise up! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes.
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
[Even] him that is not innocent shall he deliver; yea, he shall be delivered by the pureness of thy hands.
