Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
Can a man, then, profit God? Behold, the wise man profiteth himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him 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 Is it for your piety that he reproves you, that he enters with you into judgment?
Will he contend with thee because he feareth thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Isn’t your wickedness great? Neither is there any end to your iniquities.
Hath not thy wickedness been great? Have not thine iniquities been numberless?
6 For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother unjustly, And stripped the poor of their clothing.
7 You haven’t given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
Thou hast given the weary no water to drink, And withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth. The honorable man, he lived 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 have been broken.
Thou hast sent widows away empty, And broken the arms of the fatherless.
10 Therefore snares are around you. Sudden fear troubles you,
Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear confoundeth thee;
11 or darkness, so that you can not see, and floods of waters cover you.
Or darkness, through which thou canst not see, And floods of water cover thee.
12 “Isn’t God in the heights of heaven? See the height of the stars, how high they are!
Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the stars, how high they are!
13 You say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
Hence thou sayest, “What doth God know? Can he govern behind the thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn’t see. He walks on the vault of the sky.’
Dark clouds are a veil to him, and he cannot see; And he walketh upon the arch of heaven.”
15 Will you keep the old way, which wicked men have trodden,
Wilt thou take the old way Which wicked men have trodden,
16 who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
Who were cut down before their time, And whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
17 who said to God, ‘Depart from us!’ and, ‘What can the Almighty do for us?’
Who said unto God, “Depart from us!” And, “What can the Almighty do to us?”
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things, but the counsel of the wicked is 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 it, and are glad. The innocent ridicule them,
The righteous see their fate, and rejoice; And the innocent hold them in derision.
20 saying, ‘Surely those who rose up against us are cut off. The fire has consumed their remnant.’
“Truly our adversary is destroyed, And fire hath consumed his abundance!”
21 “Acquaint yourself with him now, and be at peace. By it, good will come to you.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thus shall prosperity return to thee.
22 Please receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words 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 Almighty, you will be built up, if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up; If thou put away iniquity from thy tent.
24 Lay your treasure in the dust, the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
Cast to the dust thy gold, And the gold of Ophir to the stones of the brook:
25 The Almighty will be your treasure, and precious silver to you.
Then shall the Almighty be thy gold, Yea, treasures of silver unto thee;
26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and will 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 will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you. You will pay your vows.
Thou shalt pray to him, and he shall hear thee, And thou shalt perform thy vows.
28 You will also decree a thing, and it will be established to you. Light will shine on your ways.
The purpose which thou formest shall prosper with thee, And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When they cast down, you will say, ‘be lifted up.’ He will save the humble person.
When men are cast down, thou shalt say, “There lifting up!” And the humble person he will save.
30 He will even deliver him who is not innocent. Yes, he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
He will deliver even him that is not innocent. The purity of thy hands shall save him.
