Job 22
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answers and says:
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and said,
2 “Is a man profitable to God, Because a wise man is profitable to himself?
Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3 Is it a delight to the Mighty One That you are righteous? Is it gain, That you make your ways perfect?
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou are righteous? Or is it gain to him that thou make thy ways perfect?
4 Because of your reverence Does He reason [with] you? He enters with you into judgment:
Is it for thy fear of him that he reproves thee, that he enters with thee into judgment?
5 Is your wickedness not abundant? And there is no end to your iniquities.
Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
6 For you take a pledge of your brother for nothing, And you strip off the garments of the naked.
For thou have taken pledges from thy brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You do not cause the weary to drink water, And you withhold bread from the hungry.
Thou have not given water to the weary to drink, and thou have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 As for the man of arm—he has the earth, And the accepted of face—he dwells in it.
But as for the mighty man, he had the land. And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless are bruised.
Thou have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares [are] all around you, And sudden fear troubles you.
Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubles thee,
11 Or darkness—you do not see, And abundance of waters covers you.
or darkness, so that thou cannot see, and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is God not high [in] the heavens? And see the summit of the stars, That they are high.
Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And you have said, How has God known? Does He judge through thickness?
And thou say, What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds [are] a secret place to Him, And He does not see, And He habitually walks [above] the circle of the heavens.
Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.
15 Do you observe the path of the age, That men of iniquity have trodden,
Will thou keep the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Who have been cut down unexpectedly? A flood is poured out on their foundation.
Who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
17 Those saying to God, Turn aside from us, And what does the Mighty One do to them?
who said to God, Depart from us, and, What can the Almighty do for us?
18 And He has filled their houses [with] good (And the counsel of the wicked Has been far from me).
Yet he filled their houses with good things. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see and they rejoice, And the innocent mocks at them:
The righteous see it, and are glad. And the innocent laugh them to scorn,
20 Surely our substance has not been cut off, And fire has consumed their excellence.
Saying, Surely those who rose up against us are cut off, and the remnant of them, the fire has consumed.
21 Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace, Thereby your increase [is] good.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. By this good shall come to thee.
22 Please receive a law from His mouth, And set His sayings in your heart.
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.
23 If you return to the Mighty you are built up, You put iniquity far from your tents.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shall be built up, thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.
24 So as to set a defense on the dust, And a covering on a rock of the valleys.
Then thou shall lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 And the Mighty has been your defense, And silver [is] strength to you.
Yea, the Almighty will be thy treasure, and precious silver to thee.
26 For then you delight yourself on the Mighty, And lift up your face to God,
For then shall thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shall lift up thy face to God.
27 You make supplication to Him, And He hears you, And you complete your vows.
Thou shall make thy prayer to him, and he will hear thee, and thou shall pay thy vows.
28 And you decree a saying, And it is established to you, And light has shone on your ways.
Thou shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to thee. And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 For they have made low, And you say, Lift up. And He saves the bowed down of eyes.
When they cast thee down, thou shall say, There is lifting up, and he will save the humble man.
30 He delivers the one [who is] not innocent, Indeed, he has been delivered By the cleanness of your hands.”
He will deliver even him who is not innocent. Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.
