Job 22
1 Respondens autem Eliphaz Themanites, dixit:
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 Numquid Deo potest comparari homo, etiam cum perfectæ fuerit scientiæ?
“Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?
3 Quid prodest Deo, si justus fueris? aut quid ei confers, si immaculata fuerit via tua?
Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous? Does He profit if your ways are blameless?
4 Numquid timens arguet te, et veniet tecum in judicium,
Is it for your reverence that He rebukes you and enters into judgment against you?
5 et non propter malitiam tuam plurimam, et infinitas iniquitates tuas?
Is not your wickedness great? Are not your iniquities endless?
6 Abstulisti enim pignus fratrum tuorum sine causa, et nudos spoliasti vestibus.
For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing.
7 Aquam lasso non dedisti, et esurienti subtraxisti panem.
You gave no water to the weary and withheld food from the famished,
8 In fortitudine brachii tui possidebas terram, et potentissimus obtinebas eam.
while the land belonged to a mighty man, and a man of honor lived on it.
9 Viduas dimisisti vacuas, et lacertos pupillorum comminuisti.
You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
10 Propterea circumdatus es laqueis, et conturbat te formido subita.
Therefore snares surround you, and sudden peril terrifies you;
11 Et putabas te tenebras non visurum, et impetu aquarum inundantium non oppressum iri?
it is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
12 an non cogitas quod Deus excelsior cælo sit, et super stellarum verticem sublimetur?
Is not God as high as the heavens? Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13 Et dicis: Quid enim novit Deus? et quasi per caliginem judicat.
Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness?
14 Nubes latibulum ejus, nec nostra considerat, et circa cardines cæli perambulat.
Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us as He traverses the vault of heaven.’
15 Numquid semitam sæculorum custodire cupis, quam calcaverunt viri iniqui,
Will you stay on the ancient path that wicked men have trod?
16 qui sublati sunt ante tempus suum, et fluvius subvertit fundamentum eorum?
They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a flood.
17 Qui dicebant Deo: Recede a nobis: et quasi nihil posset facere Omnipotens, æstimabant eum,
They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 cum ille implesset domos eorum bonis: quorum sententia procul sit a me.
But it was He who filled their houses with good things; so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
19 Videbunt justi, et lætabuntur, et innocens subsannabit eos:
The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent mock them:
20 nonne succisa est erectio eorum? et reliquias eorum devoravit ignis?
‘Surely our foes are destroyed, and fire has consumed their excess.’
21 Acquiesce igitur ei, et habeto pacem, et per hæc habebis fructus optimos.
Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.
22 Suscipe ex ore illius legem, et pone sermones ejus in corde tuo.
Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.
23 Si reversus fueris ad Omnipotentem, ædificaberis, et longe facies iniquitatem a tabernaculo tuo.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents
24 Dabit pro terra silicem, et pro silice torrentes aureos.
and consign your gold to the dust and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines,
25 Eritque Omnipotens contra hostes tuos, et argentum coacervabitur tibi.
then the Almighty will be your gold and the finest silver for you.
26 Tunc super Omnipotentem deliciis afflues, et elevabis ad Deum faciem tuam.
Surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.
27 Rogabis eum, et exaudiet te, et vota tua reddes.
You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows.
28 Decernes rem, et veniet tibi, et in viis tuis splendebit lumen.
Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.
29 Qui enim humiliatus fuerit, erit in gloria, et qui inclinaverit oculos, ipse salvabitur.
When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly.
30 Salvabitur innocens: salvabitur autem in munditia manuum suarum.
He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
