Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
Then answered Eliphaz the Themanite, and said,
2 “Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?
Can a man be serviceable unto God? Truly the intelligent is serviceable unto himself.
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 that thou art righteous? or is it any 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?
Is it out of fear of thee that he will reproach thee? or go with thee into judgment?
5 Is not your wickedness great? Are not your iniquities endless?
Is not thy evil great? and no end to thy iniquities?
6 For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing.
For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brothers for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You gave no water to the weary and withheld food from the famished,
Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and from the hungry thou hast withholden bread.
8 while the land belonged to a mighty man, and a man of honor lived on it.
But as for the man of a strong arm, he obtained the land, and the highly honored could dwell therein.
9 You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
Widows hast thou sent away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares surround you, and sudden peril terrifies you;
Therefore are snares round about thee, and sudden dread terrifieth thee.
11 it is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
Or seest thou not the darkness? and the abundance of water which covereth 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 heaven? and beholding the highest elevation of the stars, however high they are?
13 Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness?
But thou sayest, “What doth God know? can he judge behind the darkness?
14 Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us as He traverses the vault of heaven.’
Thick clouds are a covering for him, so that he will not see; and he walketh along on the circle of heaven.”
15 Will you stay on the ancient path that wicked men have trod?
Wilt thou [thus] observe the path of ancient times which the men of injustice have trodden?
16 They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a flood.
Who were shrivelled up before their time, whose foundation was flooded away like a river;
17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’
Who said unto God, “'Depart from us:” and what wrought the Almighty for them?
18 But it was He who filled their houses with good things; so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
And yet it was he that filled their houses with good things; but the counsel of the wicked be [still] far from me.
19 The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent mock them:
The righteous will see it, and be glad; and the innocent will laugh them to scorn.
20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire has consumed their excess.’
“Is not he destroyed that rose up against us, and hath not the fire consumed what they had left?”
21 Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.
Do but become acquainted with him, and be at peace: thereby will happiness come unto thee.
22 Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.
Do but accept instruction from his mouth, and lay up his saying 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, so thou wilt but remove wrong-doing far away from thy tents.
24 and consign your gold to the dust and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines,
And throw down in the dust precious metals, and [the gold of] Ophir to the stones of the brooks:
25 then the Almighty will be your gold and the finest silver for you.
Then will the Almighty be thy precious metal, and brightly-shining silver unto thee.
26 Surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.
For then wilt thou have in the Almighty thy delight, and thou canst lift up unto God thy face.
27 You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.
Thou wilt make entreaty unto him, and he will hear thee, and thy vows wilt thou pay.
28 Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.
And if thou decree a thing, it will be fulfilled unto thee; and upon thy ways the light will shine.
29 When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly.
For when men are brought low, thou wilt say, Pride [hath done it]; but those of lowly eyes [God] will help.
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
He will even deliver him who is not guiltless: and thou wilt be delivered by the purity of thy hands.
