Ἰώβ 22

1 ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ελιφας ὁ Θαιμανίτης λέγει

And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 πότερον οὐχὶ ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων σύνεσιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην

Can a man be profitable to God? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.

3 τί γὰρ μέλει τῷ κυρίῳ ἐὰν σὺ ἦσθα τοῖς ἔργοις ἄμεμπτος ἢ ὠφέλεια ὅτι ἁπλώσῃς τὴν ὁδόν σου

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?

4 ἦ λόγον σου ποιούμενος ἐλέγξει σε καὶ συνεισελεύσεταί σοι εἰς κρίσιν

Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?

5 πότερον οὐχ ἡ κακία σού ἐστιν πολλή ἀναρίθμητοι δέ σού εἰσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι

Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?

6 ἠνεχύραζες δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου διὰ κενῆς ἀμφίασιν δὲ γυμνῶν ἀφείλου

For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.

7 οὐδὲ ὕδωρ διψῶντας ἐπότισας ἀλλὰ πεινώντων ἐστέρησας ψωμόν

Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.

8 ἐθαύμασας δέ τινων πρόσωπον ᾤκισας δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.

9 χήρας δὲ ἐξαπέστειλας κενάς ὀρφανοὺς δὲ ἐκάκωσας

Widows hast thou sent empty away, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

10 τοιγαροῦν ἐκύκλωσάν σε παγίδες καὶ ἐσπούδασέν σε πόλεμος ἐξαίσιος

Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;

11 τὸ φῶς σοι σκότος ἀπέβη κοιμηθέντα δὲ ὕδωρ σε ἐκάλυψεν

Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods of waters cover thee.

12 μὴ οὐχὶ ὁ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ναίων ἐφορᾷ τοὺς δὲ ὕβρει φερομένους ἐταπείνωσεν

Is not God in the height of the heavens? And behold the summit of the stars: how exalted are they!

13 καὶ εἶπας τί ἔγνω ὁ ἰσχυρός ἦ κατὰ τοῦ γνόφου κρινεῖ

And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?

14 νέφη ἀποκρυφὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐχ ὁραθήσεται καὶ γῦρον οὐρανοῦ διαπορεύσεται

Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens.

15 μὴ τρίβον αἰώνιον φυλάξεις ἣν ἐπάτησαν ἄνδρες ἄδικοι

Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden?

16 οἳ συνελήμφθησαν ἄωροι ποταμὸς ἐπιρρέων οἱ θεμέλιοι αὐτῶν

Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;

17 οἱ λέγοντες κύριος τί ποιήσει ἡμῖν ἢ τί ἐπάξεται ἡμῖν ὁ παντοκράτωρ

Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?

18 ὃς δὲ ἐνέπλησεν τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ἀγαθῶν βουλὴ δὲ ἀσεβῶν πόρρω ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ

Yet he filled their houses with good. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

19 ἰδόντες δίκαιοι ἐγέλασαν ἄμεμπτος δὲ ἐμυκτήρισεν

The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn:

20 εἰ μὴ ἠφανίσθη ἡ ὑπόστασις αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ κατάλειμμα αὐτῶν καταφάγεται πῦρ

Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?

21 γενοῦ δὴ σκληρός ἐὰν ὑπομείνῃς εἶτ’ ὁ καρπός σου ἔσται ἐν ἀγαθοῖς

Reconcile thyself now with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

22 ἔκλαβε δὲ ἐκ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐξηγορίαν καὶ ἀνάλαβε τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ ἐν καρδίᾳ σου

Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.

23 ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιστραφῇς καὶ ταπεινώσῃς σεαυτὸν ἔναντι κυρίου πόρρω ἐποίησας ἀπὸ διαίτης σου τὸ ἄδικον

If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. If thou remove unrighteousness far from thy tents,

24 θήσῃ ἐπὶ χώματι ἐν πέτρᾳ καὶ ὡς πέτρᾳ χειμάρρους Ωφιρ

And put the precious ore with the dust, and [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the torrents,

25 ἔσται οὖν σου ὁ παντοκράτωρ βοηθὸς ἀπὸ ἐχθρῶν καθαρὸν δὲ ἀποδώσει σε ὥσπερ ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον

Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore, and silver heaped up unto thee;

26 εἶτα παρρησιασθήσῃ ἔναντι κυρίου ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἱλαρῶς

Yea, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God:

27 εὐξαμένου δέ σου πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσακούσεταί σου δώσει δέ σοι ἀποδοῦναι τὰς εὐχάς

Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;

28 ἀποκαταστήσει δέ σοι δίαιταν δικαιοσύνης ἐπὶ δὲ ὁδοῖς σου ἔσται φέγγος

And thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and light shall shine upon thy ways.

29 ὅτι ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτόν καὶ ἐρεῖς ὑπερηφανεύσατο καὶ κύφοντα ὀφθαλμοῖς σώσει

When they are made low, then thou shalt say, Rise up! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes.

30 ῥύσεται ἀθῷον καὶ διασώθητι ἐν καθαραῖς χερσίν σου

[Even] him that is not innocent shall he deliver; yea, he shall be delivered by the pureness of thy hands.