Job 22
1 Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said: —
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and sayde,
2 Unto GOD, can a man act as friend? Surely a discreet man befriendeth himself!
May a man be profitable vnto God, as he that is wise, may be profitable to himselfe?
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 thing vnto the Almightie, that thou art righteous? or is it profitable to him, that thou makest thy wayes vpright?
4 Is it, for thy reverence, that he will accuse thee? will enter with thee into judgment?
Is it for feare of thee that he will accuse thee? or go with thee into iudgement?
5 Is not, thy wickedness, great? and, without end, [are not] thine iniquities?
Is not thy wickednes great, and thine iniquities innumerable?
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 hast taken the pledge from thy brother for nought, and spoyled the clothes of the naked.
7 No water—to the weary, hast thou given to drink, and, from the hungry, thou hast withheld bread:
To such as were wearie, thou hast not giuen water to drinke, and hast withdrawen bread from the hungrie.
8 A man of might, to him, pertaineth the land, and, the favorite, dwelleth therein:
But the mightie man had the earth, and he that was in autoritie, dwelt in it.
9 Widows, thou hast sent away empty, and, the arms of the fatherless, thou dost crush.
Thou hast cast out widowes emptie, and the armes of the fatherles were broken.
10 For this cause, round about thee, are snares, and a dread startleth thee suddenly;
Therefore snares are round about thee, and feare shall suddenly trouble thee:
11 Or darkness—thou canst not see, and, a flood of waters, covereth thee.
Or darkenes that thou shouldest not see, and abundance of waters shall couer 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 on hie in the heauen? and behold the height of the starres how hie they are.
13 Wilt thou say then, What doth GOD know? Out through a thick cloud, can he judge?
But thou sayest, How should God know? can he iudge through the darke cloude?
14 Dark clouds, are a veil to him, and he cannot see, or, the vault of the heavens, doth he walk?
The cloudes hide him that he can not see, and he walketh in the circle of heauen.
15 The path of the ancient time, wilt thou mark, which the men of iniquity trod?
Hast thou marked the way of the worlde, wherein wicked men haue walked?
16 Who were snatched away before the time, and, a stream, washed away their foundation?
Which were cut downe before the time, whose foundation was as a riuer that ouerflowed:
17 Who had been saying unto GOD, Depart from us! and—What can the Almighty do for himself?
Which sayd vnto God, Depart from vs, and asked what the Almightie could do for them.
18 Yet, he, had filled their houses with good! The counsel of the lawless, then, is far from me:
Yet hee filled their houses with good things: but let the counsell of the wicked be farre from me.
19 The righteous shall see and rejoice, and, the innocent, shall laugh them to scorn:
The righteous shall see them, and shall reioyce, and the innocent shall laugh them to scorne.
20 If our assailants do not vanish, then, their abundance, a fire consumeth!
Surely our substance is hid: but the fire hath deuoured the remnant of them.
21 Shew thyself to be one with him—I pray thee—and prosper, thereby, shall there come on thee blessing.
Therefore acquaint thy selfe, I pray thee, with him, and make peace: thereby thou shalt haue prosperitie.
22 Accept, I beseech thee, from his mouth—instruction, —and lay up his sayings in thy heart.
Receiue, I pray thee, the law of his mouth, and lay vp his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return unto the Almighty and submit thyself, if thou far remove perversity from thy tent,
If thou returne to the Almightie, thou shalt be buylt vp, and thou shalt put iniquitie farre from thy tabernacle.
24 Then lay up, in the dust, precious ore, and, among the stones of the torrent-beds, fine gold:
Thou shalt lay vp golde for dust, and the gold of Ophir, as the flintes of the riuers.
25 So shall, the Almighty, become, thy precious ores, yea glittering silver unto thee!
Yea, the Almightie shalbe thy defence, and thou shalt haue plentie of siluer.
26 For, then, in the Almighty, shalt thou take exquisite delight, and shalt lift up—unto GOD—thy face;
And thou shalt then delite in the Almightie, and lift vp thy face vnto God.
27 Thou shalt make entreaty unto him, and he will hear thee, and, thy vows, shalt thou pay;
Thou shalt make thy praier vnto him, and he shall heare thee, and thou shalt render thy vowes.
28 And thou shalt decree a purpose, and it shall be fulfilled unto thee, and, upon thy ways, shall have shone a light;
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and he shall establish it vnto thee, and the light shall shine vpon thy wayes.
29 When men cast themselves down, then thou shalt say: Up! And, him that is of downcast eyes, shall he save;
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 thou shalt escape by the pureness of thy hands.
The innocent shall deliuer the yland, and it shalbe preserued by the purenes of thine hands.
