Ἰώβ 22
1 ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ελιφας ὁ Θαιμανίτης λέγει
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 πότερον οὐχὶ ὁ κύριός ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων σύνεσιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην
Can a man, then, profit God? Behold, the wise man profiteth himself.
3 τί γὰρ μέλει τῷ κυρίῳ ἐὰν σὺ ἦσθα τοῖς ἔργοις ἄμεμπτος ἢ ὠφέλεια ὅτι ἁπλώσῃς τὴν ὁδόν σου
Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous; Or a gain to him, that thou walkest uprightly?
4 ἦ λόγον σου ποιούμενος ἐλέγξει σε καὶ συνεισελεύσεταί σοι εἰς κρίσιν
Will he contend with thee because he feareth thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 πότερον οὐχ ἡ κακία σού ἐστιν πολλή ἀναρίθμητοι δέ σού εἰσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι
Hath not thy wickedness been great? Have not thine iniquities been numberless?
6 ἠνεχύραζες δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου διὰ κενῆς ἀμφίασιν δὲ γυμνῶν ἀφείλου
For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother unjustly, And stripped the poor of their clothing.
7 οὐδὲ ὕδωρ διψῶντας ἐπότισας ἀλλὰ πεινώντων ἐστέρησας ψωμόν
Thou hast given the weary no water to drink, And withholden bread from the hungry.
8 ἐθαύμασας δέ τινων πρόσωπον ᾤκισας δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
But the man of power, his was the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it.
9 χήρας δὲ ἐξαπέστειλας κενάς ὀρφανοὺς δὲ ἐκάκωσας
Thou hast sent widows away empty, And broken the arms of the fatherless.
10 τοιγαροῦν ἐκύκλωσάν σε παγίδες καὶ ἐσπούδασέν σε πόλεμος ἐξαίσιος
Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear confoundeth thee;
11 τὸ φῶς σοι σκότος ἀπέβη κοιμηθέντα δὲ ὕδωρ σε ἐκάλυψεν
Or darkness, through which thou canst not see, And floods of water cover thee.
12 μὴ οὐχὶ ὁ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ναίων ἐφορᾷ τοὺς δὲ ὕβρει φερομένους ἐταπείνωσεν
Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the stars, how high they are!
13 καὶ εἶπας τί ἔγνω ὁ ἰσχυρός ἦ κατὰ τοῦ γνόφου κρινεῖ
Hence thou sayest, “What doth God know? Can he govern behind the thick darkness?
14 νέφη ἀποκρυφὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐχ ὁραθήσεται καὶ γῦρον οὐρανοῦ διαπορεύσεται
Dark clouds are a veil to him, and he cannot see; And he walketh upon the arch of heaven.”
15 μὴ τρίβον αἰώνιον φυλάξεις ἣν ἐπάτησαν ἄνδρες ἄδικοι
Wilt thou take the old way Which wicked men have trodden,
16 οἳ συνελήμφθησαν ἄωροι ποταμὸς ἐπιρρέων οἱ θεμέλιοι αὐτῶν
Who were cut down before their time, And whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
17 οἱ λέγοντες κύριος τί ποιήσει ἡμῖν ἢ τί ἐπάξεται ἡμῖν ὁ παντοκράτωρ
Who said unto God, “Depart from us!” And, “What can the Almighty do to us?”
18 ὃς δὲ ἐνέπλησεν τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ἀγαθῶν βουλὴ δὲ ἀσεβῶν πόρρω ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ
And yet he filled their houses with good things!—Far from me be the counsel of the wicked!
19 ἰδόντες δίκαιοι ἐγέλασαν ἄμεμπτος δὲ ἐμυκτήρισεν
The righteous see their fate, and rejoice; And the innocent hold them in derision.
20 εἰ μὴ ἠφανίσθη ἡ ὑπόστασις αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ κατάλειμμα αὐτῶν καταφάγεται πῦρ
“Truly our adversary is destroyed, And fire hath consumed his abundance!”
21 γενοῦ δὴ σκληρός ἐὰν ὑπομείνῃς εἶτ’ ὁ καρπός σου ἔσται ἐν ἀγαθοῖς
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thus shall prosperity return to 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 put away iniquity from thy tent.
24 θήσῃ ἐπὶ χώματι ἐν πέτρᾳ καὶ ὡς πέτρᾳ χειμάρρους Ωφιρ
Cast to the dust thy gold, And the gold of Ophir to the stones of the brook:
25 ἔσται οὖν σου ὁ παντοκράτωρ βοηθὸς ἀπὸ ἐχθρῶν καθαρὸν δὲ ἀποδώσει σε ὥσπερ ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον
Then shall the Almighty be thy gold, Yea, treasures of silver unto thee;
26 εἶτα παρρησιασθήσῃ ἔναντι κυρίου ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἱλαρῶς
For then shalt thou have delight 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 pray to him, and he shall hear thee, And thou shalt perform thy vows.
28 ἀποκαταστήσει δέ σοι δίαιταν δικαιοσύνης ἐπὶ δὲ ὁδοῖς σου ἔσται φέγγος
The purpose which thou formest shall prosper with thee, And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 ὅτι ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτόν καὶ ἐρεῖς ὑπερηφανεύσατο καὶ κύφοντα ὀφθαλμοῖς σώσει
When men are cast down, thou shalt say, “There lifting up!” And the humble person he will save.
30 ῥύσεται ἀθῷον καὶ διασώθητι ἐν καθαραῖς χερσίν σου
He will deliver even him that is not innocent. The purity of thy hands shall save him.
