Job 22
1 Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said: —
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and said,
2 Unto GOD, can a man act as friend? Surely a discreet man befriendeth himself!
Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3 Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou shouldst be righteous? or any profit, that thou shouldst be blameless in thy ways?
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou are righteous? Or is it gain to him that thou make thy ways perfect?
4 Is it, for thy reverence, that he will accuse thee? will enter with thee into judgment?
Is it for thy fear of him that he reproves thee, that he enters with thee into judgment?
5 Is not, thy wickedness, great? and, without end, [are not] thine iniquities?
Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
6 Surely then hast been wont to put thy brother in pledge, for nothing, and, the garments of the ill-clad, hast thou stripped off:
For thou have taken pledges from thy brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 No water—to the weary, hast thou given to drink, and, from the hungry, thou hast withheld bread:
Thou have not given water to the weary to drink, and thou have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 A man of might, to him, pertaineth the land, and, the favorite, dwelleth therein:
But as for the mighty man, he had the land. And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.
9 Widows, thou hast sent away empty, and, the arms of the fatherless, thou dost crush.
Thou have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 For this cause, round about thee, are snares, and a dread startleth thee suddenly;
Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubles thee,
11 Or darkness—thou canst not see, and, a flood of waters, covereth thee.
or darkness, so that thou cannot see, and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is not, GOD, [in] the height of the heavens? Behold, then, the head 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 Wilt thou say then, What doth GOD know? Out through a thick cloud, can he judge?
And thou say, What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Dark clouds, are a veil to him, and he cannot see, or, the vault of the heavens, doth he walk?
Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.
15 The path of the ancient time, wilt thou mark, which the men of iniquity trod?
Will thou keep the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Who were snatched away before the time, and, a stream, washed away their foundation?
Who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
17 Who had been saying unto GOD, Depart from us! and—What can the Almighty do for himself?
who said to God, Depart from us, and, What can the Almighty do for us?
18 Yet, he, had filled their houses with good! The counsel of the lawless, then, is far from me:
Yet he filled their houses with good things. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous shall see and rejoice, and, the innocent, shall laugh them to scorn:
The righteous see it, and are glad. And the innocent laugh them to scorn,
20 If our assailants do not vanish, then, their abundance, a fire consumeth!
Saying, Surely those who rose up against us are cut off, and the remnant of them, the fire has consumed.
21 Shew thyself to be one with him—I pray thee—and prosper, thereby, shall there come on thee blessing.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. By this good shall come to thee.
22 Accept, I beseech thee, from his mouth—instruction, —and lay up his sayings in thy heart.
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.
23 If thou return unto the Almighty and submit thyself, if thou far remove perversity from thy tent,
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shall be built up, thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.
24 Then lay up, in the dust, precious ore, and, among the stones of the torrent-beds, fine gold:
Then thou shall lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 So shall, the Almighty, become, thy precious ores, yea glittering silver unto thee!
Yea, the Almighty will be thy treasure, and precious silver to thee.
26 For, then, in the Almighty, shalt thou take exquisite delight, and shalt lift up—unto GOD—thy face;
For then shall thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shall lift up thy face to God.
27 Thou shalt make entreaty unto him, and he will hear thee, and, thy vows, shalt thou pay;
Thou shall make thy prayer to him, and he will hear thee, and thou shall pay thy vows.
28 And thou shalt decree a purpose, and it shall be fulfilled unto thee, and, upon thy ways, shall have shone a light;
Thou shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to thee. And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When men cast themselves down, then thou shalt say: Up! And, him that is of downcast eyes, shall he save;
When they cast thee down, thou shall say, There is lifting up, and he will save the humble man.
30 He shall deliver the innocent, and thou shalt escape by the pureness of thy hands.
He will deliver even him who is not innocent. Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.
