Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded and said,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
“How can anyone be of help to God? Even wise people are only helpful to themselves.
3 [Is it] any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or [is it] gain [to him], that thou makest thy ways perfect?
Is it any benefit to the Almighty if you're a good person? What does he gain if you do what's right?
4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
Does he correct you and bring charges against you because of your reverence?
5 [Is] not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
No: it's because you're so wicked! Your sins are never-ending!
6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
For no reason at all you took your brother's clothing as a security for a debt, and left them stripped naked.
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
You refused water to the thirsty; you denied food to the hungry.
8 But [as for] the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
Is it because the land belongs to the powerful, and only the privileged have a right to live there?
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
You have sent widows away empty-handed; you have crushed the outstretched arms of orphans, begging for help.
10 Therefore snares [are] round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
That's why you're surrounded by traps to catch you, and why you suddenly panic in terror.
11 Or darkness, [that] thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
That's why it's so dark you cannot see, and why you feel like you're drowning.
12 [Is] not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
Doesn't God live in highest heaven and looks down on even the highest stars?
13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
But you ask, ‘What does God know? How can he see and judge what happens in down here in darkness?
14 Thick clouds [are] a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
Thick clouds cover him so he can't see anything as he walks around in heaven.’
15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
Why do you insist on following the traditional thinking of the wicked?
16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
They were taken before their time; all they had built was washed away.
17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
They had told God, ‘Get lost! What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 Yet he filled their houses with good [things: ] but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
And yet he was the one who had filled their homes with good things—but I don't accept their way of thinking.
19 The righteous see [it], and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
Those who do right rejoice when they see the destruction of the wicked, and the innocent mock them,
20 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
saying, ‘Our enemies are destroyed, and fire has burned up all that's left of them.’
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
Come back to God and be reconciled to him, and you'll be prosperous again.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
Listen to what he tells you and keep his words in mind.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
If you return to God you will be restored. If you renounce your sinful life
24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the [gold] of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
and give up your love of money and desire for possessions,
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver.
26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
Then you will find delight in the Almighty, and be able to face him without feeling ashamed.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will keep your promises to him.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
Whatever you decide to do will be successful, and wherever you go, light will shine on you.
29 When [men] are cast down, then thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
When others are humbled, and you say, ‘please help them,’ God will save them.
30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
God saves those who are innocent, and you will be saved if you do what is right.”
