Job 22
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Then Eliphaz the Themanite responded by saying:
2 Can a man be profitable to God? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.
Can man be compared with God, even if he were perfect in knowledge?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?
What advantage is it to God, if you were just? Or what do you provide for him, if your way should be immaculate?
4 Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
Will he reprove you and take you to judgment for being afraid,
5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?
and not because of your many evil deeds and your infinite unfairness?
6 For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.
For you have taken away the collateral of your brothers without cause, and stripped them naked of their clothing.
7 Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
You have not given water to the weary; you have taken bread away from the hungry.
8 But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.
By the strength of your arm, you took possession of the land, and you retain it by being the strongest.
9 Widows hast thou sent empty away, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
You have sent widows away empty, and you have crushed the shoulders of orphans.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
Because of this, you are surrounded by traps, and unexpected fears will disturb you.
11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods of waters cover thee.
And did you think that you would not see darkness and that you were not to be overwhelmed by the onrush of overflowing waters?
12 Is not God in the height of the heavens? And behold the summit of the stars: how exalted are they!
Have you not considered that God is higher than the heavens and is lifted above the height of the stars?
13 And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?
And you say: “Well, what does God know?” and, “He judges, as if through a fog,”
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens.
and, “The clouds are his hiding-place,” and, “He does not examine us closely,” and, “He makes his rounds at the limits of the heavens.”
15 Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden?
Do you not want to tend the path of the ages, which wicked men have spurned?
16 Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;
These were taken away before their time, and a flood overthrew their foundation.
17 Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?
They said to God, “Withdraw from us,” and they treated the Almighty as if he could do nothing,
18 Yet he filled their houses with good. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
though he had filled their houses with good things. May their way of thinking be far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn:
The just will see and will rejoice, and the innocent will mock them.
20 Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?
Has not their haughtiness been cut down, and has not fire devoured the remnants of them?
21 Reconcile thyself now with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
So, repose yourself with him and be at peace, and, in this way, you will have the best fruits.
22 Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.
Accept the law from his mouth, and place 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 will return to the Almighty, you will be rebuilt, and you will put sinfulness far from your tabernacle.
24 And put the precious ore with the dust, and [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the torrents,
He will give you stone in place of dirt, and torrents of gold in place of stone.
25 Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore, and silver heaped up unto thee;
And the Almighty will be against your enemies, and silver will be gathered together for you.
26 Yea, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God:
Then will you flock together in delight over the Almighty, and you will 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 plead with him, and he will listen to you, and you will pay your vows.
28 And thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and light shall shine upon thy ways.
You will decide on something, and it will come to you, and the light will shine in your ways.
29 When they are made low, then thou shalt say, Rise up! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes.
For he who had been humbled, will be in glory; and he who will lower his eyes, will be the one saved.
30 [Even] him that is not innocent shall he deliver; yea, he shall be delivered by the pureness of thy hands.
The innocent will be saved, and he will be saved with purity in his hands.
