Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz the Thaemanite answered and said,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and sayde,
2 Is it not the Lord that teaches understanding and knowledge?
May a man be profitable vnto God, as he that is wise, may be profitable to himselfe?
3 For what matters it to the Lord, if you were blameless in [your] works? or is it profitable that you should perfect your way?
Is it any thing vnto the Almightie, that thou art righteous? or is it profitable to him, that thou makest thy wayes vpright?
4 Will you maintain and plead your own cause? and will he enter into judgment with you?
Is it for feare of thee that he will accuse thee? or go with thee into iudgement?
5 Is not your wickedness abundant, and your sins innumerable?
Is not thy wickednes great, and thine iniquities innumerable?
6 And you have taken security of your brethren for nothing, and have taken away the clothing of the naked.
For thou hast taken the pledge from thy brother for nought, and spoyled the clothes of the naked.
7 Neither have you given water to the thirsty to drink, but have taken away the morsel of the hungry.
To such as were wearie, thou hast not giuen water to drinke, and hast withdrawen bread from the hungrie.
8 And you have accepted the persons of some; and you have established those [that were already settled] on the earth.
But the mightie man had the earth, and he that was in autoritie, dwelt in it.
9 But you have sent widows away empty, and has afflicted orphans.
Thou hast cast out widowes emptie, and the armes of the fatherles were broken.
10 Therefore snares have compassed you, and disastrous war has troubled you.
Therefore snares are round about thee, and feare shall suddenly trouble thee:
11 The light has proved darkness to you, and water has covered you on your lying down.
Or darkenes that thou shouldest not see, and abundance of waters shall couer thee.
12 Does not he that dwells in the high places observe? and has he not brought down the proud?
Is not God on hie in the heauen? and behold the height of the starres how hie they are.
13 And you has said, What does the Mighty One know? does he judge in the dark?
But thou sayest, How should God know? can he iudge through the darke cloude?
14 A cloud is his hiding-place, and he shall not be seen; and he passes through the circle of heaven.
The cloudes hide him that he can not see, and he walketh in the circle of heauen.
15 Will you [not] mark the old way, which righteous men have trodden?
Hast thou marked the way of the worlde, wherein wicked men haue walked?
16 who were seized before their time: their foundations [are as] an overflowing stream.
Which were cut downe before the time, whose foundation was as a riuer that ouerflowed:
17 Who say, What will the Lord do to us? or what will the Almighty bring upon us?
Which sayd vnto God, Depart from vs, and asked what the Almightie could do for them.
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel for the wicked is far from him.
Yet hee filled their houses with good things: but let the counsell of the wicked be farre from me.
19 The righteous have seen [it], and laughed, and the blameless one has derided [them].
The righteous shall see them, and shall reioyce, and the innocent shall laugh them to scorne.
20 Verily their substance has been utterly destroyed, and the fire shall devour what is left of their [property].
Surely our substance is hid: but the fire hath deuoured the remnant of them.
21 Be firm, I pray you, if you can endure; then your fruit shall prosper.
Therefore acquaint thy selfe, I pray thee, with him, and make peace: thereby thou shalt haue prosperitie.
22 And receive a declaration from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
Receiue, I pray thee, the law of his mouth, and lay vp his words in thine heart.
23 And if you shall turn and humble yourself before the Lord, you have [thus] removed unrighteousness far from your habitation.
If thou returne to the Almightie, thou shalt be buylt vp, and thou shalt put iniquitie farre from thy tabernacle.
24 You shall lay up for yourself [treasure] in a heap on the rock; and Sophir [shall be] as the rock of the torrent.
Thou shalt lay vp golde for dust, and the gold of Ophir, as the flintes of the riuers.
25 So the Almighty shall be your helper from enemies, and he shall bring you forth pure as silver that has been tried by fire.
Yea, the Almightie shalbe thy defence, and thou shalt haue plentie of siluer.
26 Then shall you have boldness before the Lord, looking up cheerfully to heaven.
And thou shalt then delite in the Almightie, and lift vp thy face vnto God.
27 And he shall hear you when you pray to him, and he shall grant you [power] to pay your vows.
Thou shalt make thy praier vnto him, and he shall heare thee, and thou shalt render thy vowes.
28 And he shall establish to you again a habitation of righteousness and there shall be light upon your paths.
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and he shall establish it vnto thee, and the light shall shine vpon thy wayes.
29 Because you have humbled yourself; and you shall say, [Man] has behaved proudly, but he shall save him that is of lowly eyes.
When others are cast downe, then shalt thou say, I am lifted vp: and God shall saue the humble person.
30 He shall deliver the innocent, and do you save yourself by your pure hands.
The innocent shall deliuer the yland, and it shalbe preserued by the purenes of thine hands.
