Job 22
1 Respondens autem Eliphaz Themanites, dixit:
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 [Numquid Deo potest comparari homo, etiam cum perfectæ fuerit scientiæ?
Can a man, then, profit God? Behold, the wise man profiteth himself.
3 Quid prodest Deo, si justus fueris? aut quid ei confers, si immaculata fuerit via tua?
Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous; Or a gain to him, that thou walkest uprightly?
4 Numquid timens arguet te, et veniet tecum in judicium,
Will he contend with thee because he feareth thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 et non propter malitiam tuam plurimam, et infinitas iniquitates tuas?
Hath not thy wickedness been great? Have not thine iniquities been numberless?
6 Abstulisti enim pignus fratrum tuorum sine causa, et nudos spoliasti vestibus.
For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother unjustly, And stripped the poor of their clothing.
7 Aquam lasso non dedisti, et esurienti subtraxisti panem.
Thou hast given the weary no water to drink, And withholden bread from the hungry.
8 In fortitudine brachii tui possidebas terram, et potentissimus obtinebas eam.
But the man of power, his was the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it.
9 Viduas dimisisti vacuas, et lacertos pupillorum comminuisti.
Thou hast sent widows away empty, And broken the arms of the fatherless.
10 Propterea circumdatus es laqueis, et conturbat te formido subita.
Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear confoundeth thee;
11 Et putabas te tenebras non visurum, et impetu aquarum inundantium non oppressum iri?
Or darkness, through which thou canst not see, And floods of water cover thee.
12 an non cogitas quod Deus excelsior cælo sit, et super stellarum verticem sublimetur?
Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the stars, how high they are!
13 Et dicis: Quid enim novit Deus? et quasi per caliginem judicat.
Hence thou sayest, “What doth God know? Can he govern behind the thick darkness?
14 Nubes latibulum ejus, nec nostra considerat, et circa cardines cæli perambulat.
Dark clouds are a veil to him, and he cannot see; And he walketh upon the arch of heaven.”
15 Numquid semitam sæculorum custodire cupis, quam calcaverunt viri iniqui,
Wilt thou take the old way Which wicked men have trodden,
16 qui sublati sunt ante tempus suum, et fluvius subvertit fundamentum eorum?
Who were cut down before their time, And whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
17 Qui dicebant Deo: Recede a nobis: et quasi nihil posset facere Omnipotens, æstimabant eum,
Who said unto God, “Depart from us!” And, “What can the Almighty do to us?”
18 cum ille implesset domos eorum bonis: quorum sententia procul sit a me.
And yet he filled their houses with good things!—Far from me be the counsel of the wicked!
19 Videbunt justi, et lætabuntur, et innocens subsannabit eos:
The righteous see their fate, and rejoice; And the innocent hold them in derision.
20 nonne succisa est erectio eorum? et reliquias eorum devoravit ignis?
“Truly our adversary is destroyed, And fire hath consumed his abundance!”
21 Acquiesce igitur ei, et habeto pacem, et per hæc habebis fructus optimos.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thus shall prosperity return to thee.
22 Suscipe ex ore illius legem, et pone sermones ejus in corde tuo.
Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, And lay up his words in thy heart.
23 Si reversus fueris ad Omnipotentem, ædificaberis, et longe facies iniquitatem a tabernaculo tuo.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up; If thou put away iniquity from thy tent.
24 Dabit pro terra silicem, et pro silice torrentes aureos.
Cast to the dust thy gold, And the gold of Ophir to the stones of the brook:
25 Eritque Omnipotens contra hostes tuos, et argentum coacervabitur tibi.
Then shall the Almighty be thy gold, Yea, treasures of silver unto thee;
26 Tunc super Omnipotentem deliciis afflues, et elevabis ad Deum faciem tuam.
For then shalt thou have delight in the Almighty, And shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Rogabis eum, et exaudiet te, et vota tua reddes.
Thou shalt pray to him, and he shall hear thee, And thou shalt perform thy vows.
28 Decernes rem, et veniet tibi, et in viis tuis splendebit lumen.
The purpose which thou formest shall prosper with thee, And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 Qui enim humiliatus fuerit, erit in gloria, et qui inclinaverit oculos, ipse salvabitur.
When men are cast down, thou shalt say, “There lifting up!” And the humble person he will save.
30 Salvabitur innocens: salvabitur autem in munditia manuum suarum.]
He will deliver even him that is not innocent. The purity of thy hands shall save him.
