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, then, profit God? Behold, the wise man profiteth 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 a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous; Or a gain to him, that thou walkest uprightly?
4 Because of your reverence Does He reason [with] you? He enters with you into judgment:
Will he contend with thee because he feareth thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is your wickedness not abundant? And there is no end to your iniquities.
Hath not thy wickedness been great? Have not thine iniquities been numberless?
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 from thy brother unjustly, And stripped the poor of their clothing.
7 You do not cause the weary to drink water, And you withhold bread from the hungry.
Thou hast given the weary no water to drink, And 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 man of power, his was the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless are bruised.
Thou hast sent widows away empty, And broken the arms of the fatherless.
10 Therefore snares [are] all around you, And sudden fear troubles you.
Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear confoundeth thee;
11 Or darkness—you do not see, And abundance of waters covers you.
Or darkness, through which thou canst not see, And floods of water 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 stars, how high they are!
13 And you have said, How has God known? Does He judge through thickness?
Hence thou sayest, “What doth God know? Can he govern behind 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.
Dark clouds are a veil to him, and he cannot see; And he walketh upon the arch of heaven.”
15 Do you observe the path of the age, That men of iniquity have trodden,
Wilt thou take 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 cut down before their time, And whose foundations were swept away by 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 can the Almighty do to us?”
18 And He has filled their houses [with] good (And the counsel of the wicked Has been far from me).
And yet he filled their houses with good things!—Far from me be the counsel of the wicked!
19 The righteous see and they rejoice, And the innocent mocks at them:
The righteous see their fate, and rejoice; And the innocent hold them in derision.
20 Surely our substance has not been cut off, And fire has consumed their excellence.
“Truly our adversary is destroyed, And fire hath consumed his abundance!”
21 Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace, Thereby your increase [is] good.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thus shall prosperity return to 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 put away iniquity from thy tent.
24 So as to set a defense on the dust, And a covering on a rock of the valleys.
Cast to the dust thy gold, And the gold of Ophir to the stones of the brook:
25 And the Mighty has been your defense, And silver [is] strength to you.
Then shall the Almighty be thy gold, Yea, treasures of silver unto thee;
26 For then you delight yourself on the Mighty, And lift up your face to God,
For then shalt thou have delight 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 pray to him, and he shall hear thee, And thou shalt perform thy vows.
28 And you decree a saying, And it is established to you, And light has shone on your ways.
The purpose which thou formest shall prosper with 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 men are cast down, thou shalt say, “There lifting up!” And the humble person he will save.
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 that is not innocent. The purity of thy hands shall save him.
