Job 22
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answers and says:
And 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 it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.
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 if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Because of your reverence Does He reason [with] you? He enters with you into judgment:
Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is your wickedness not abundant? And there is no end to your iniquities.
Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?
6 For you take a pledge of your brother for nothing, And you strip off the garments of the naked.
For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.
7 You do not cause the weary to drink water, And you withhold bread from the hungry.
Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden 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 the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless are bruised.
Widows hast thou sent empty away, 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 troubleth thee;
11 Or darkness—you do not see, And abundance of waters covers you.
Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods 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 the heavens? And behold the summit of the stars: how exalted are they!
13 And you have said, How has God known? Does He judge through thickness?
And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?
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, that he seeth not; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens.
15 Do you observe the path of the age, That men of iniquity have trodden,
Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden?
16 Who have been cut down unexpectedly? A flood is poured out on their foundation.
Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;
17 Those saying to God, Turn aside from us, And what does the Mighty One do to them?
Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?
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. 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.
Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?
21 Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace, Thereby your increase [is] good.
Reconcile thyself now with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Please receive a law from His mouth, And set His sayings in your heart.
Receive, I pray thee, instruction 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 shalt be built up. If thou remove unrighteousness far from thy tents,
24 So as to set a defense on the dust, And a covering on a rock of the valleys.
And put the precious ore with the dust, and [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the torrents,
25 And the Mighty has been your defense, And silver [is] strength to you.
Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore, and silver heaped up unto thee;
26 For then you delight yourself on the Mighty, And lift up your face to God,
Yea, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God:
27 You make supplication to Him, And He hears you, And you complete your vows.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;
28 And you decree a saying, And it is established to you, And light has shone on your ways.
And thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto 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 are made low, then thou shalt say, Rise up! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes.
30 He delivers the one [who is] not innocent, Indeed, he has been delivered By the cleanness of your hands.”
[Even] him that is not innocent shall he deliver; yea, he shall be delivered by the pureness of thy hands.
