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