Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz replied,
And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —
2 “(Can anyone be useful to God?/Certainly no one can be useful to God.) [RHQ] Even people who are wise cannot be helpful to God.
To God is a man profitable, Because a wise man to himself is profitable?
3 If you were righteous, (would that benefit Almighty [God]?/that certainly would not benefit Almighty [God].) [RHQ] If you had (lived a perfect life/never done anything that is wrong), would that help him?
Is it a delight to the Mighty One That thou art righteous? is it gain, That thou makest perfect thy ways?
4 “Is it because you have an awesome respect for God that he punishes you? Is that the reason that he puts you on trial?
Because of thy reverence Doth He reason [with] thee? He entereth with thee into judgment:
5 No, it certainly must be [RHQ] because you are extremely wicked. It must be that the evil things that you have done are so many that no one can count them!
Is not thy wickedness abundant? And there is no end to thine iniquities.
6 You must have lent money to others and wrongly forced them to give you things to guarantee that they would pay that money back to you; you must have taken all their clothes and left them with nothing to wear.
For thou takest a pledge of thy brother for nought, And the garments of the naked Thou dost strip off.
7 You must not have given water to those who were thirsty, and you must have refused to give food to those who were hungry.
Thou causest not the weary to drink water, And from the hungry thou withholdest bread.
8 Because you were very powerful, you [must have] taken over all the people’s land, and then, being very respected, you have begun to live on that land.
As to the man of arm — he hath the earth, And the accepted of face — he dwelleth in it.
9 [When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
Widows thou hast sent away empty, And the arms of the fatherless are bruised.
10 Because of all that, now there are pits around you for you to fall into, and suddenly there are things that terrify you and cause you to tremble.
Therefore round about thee [are] snares, And trouble thee doth fear suddenly.
11 [It is as though] it has become very dark, with the result that you cannot see anything, and [it is as though] [MET] a flood covers you.
Or darkness — thou dost not see, And abundance of waters doth cover thee.
12 “[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
Is not God high [in] heaven? And see the summit of the stars, That they are high.
13 So why do you say, ‘What does God know [about what we are doing]? [He is hidden from us by] dark clouds, so ([how] can he judge us?/he certainly cannot judge us.) [RHQ]’
And thou hast said, 'What — hath God known? Through thickness doth He judge?
14 [Do you think that] while he walks on the dome that covers the sky, there are thick clouds around him, with the result that he cannot see [what we do]?
Thick clouds [are] a secret place to Him, And He doth not see;' And the circle of the heavens He walketh habitually,
15 Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
The path of the age dost thou observe, That men of iniquity have trodden?
16 They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
Who have been cut down unexpectedly, A flood is poured out on their foundation.
17 They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
Those saying to God, 'Turn aside from us,' And what doth the Mighty One to them?
18 But it was God who filled their houses with good things, so I cannot at all understand why wicked people think like they do.
And he hath filled their houses [with] good: (And the counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.)
19 “But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
See do the righteous and they rejoice, And the innocent mocketh at them,
20 They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
'Surely our substance hath not been cut off, And their excellency hath fire consumed.'
21 “So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
Acquaint thyself, I pray thee, with Him, And be at peace, Thereby thine increase [is] good.
22 Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
Receive, I pray thee, from His mouth a law, And set His sayings in thy heart.
23 If you humble yourself and return to God, if you stop doing all the evil things that you have been doing in your house,
If thou dost return unto the Mighty Thou art built up, Thou puttest iniquity far from thy tents.
24 if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
So as to set on the dust a defence, And on a rock of the valleys a covering.
25 and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
And the Mighty hath been thy defence, And silver [is] strength to thee.
26 you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
For then on the Mighty thou delightest thyself, And dost lift up unto God thy face,
27 You will pray to him, and he will do what you request him to do; you will do the things that you promised him that you would do.
Thou dost make supplication unto Him, And He doth hear thee, And thy vows thou completest.
28 Everything that you decide to do will be successful; [it] will [be as though] a light [is] shining on the road in front of you.
And thou decreest a saying, And it is established to thee, And on thy ways hath light shone.
29 God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
For they have made low, And thou sayest, 'Lift up.' And the bowed down of eyes he saveth.
30 God rescues those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong), so he will rescue you if you (start doing things that are right/are not guilty [IDM] of doing things that are wrong).”
He delivereth the not innocent, Yea, he hath been delivered By the cleanness of thy hands.
