< Job 22 >
1 Respondens autem Eliphaz Themanites, dixit:
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Numquid Deo potest comparari homo, etiam cum perfectae fuerit scientiae?
Can a man be profitable unto God? surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.
3 Quid prodest Deo si iustus fueris? aut quid ei confers si immaculata fuerit via tua?
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain [to him], that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Numquid timens arguet te, et veniet tecum in iudicium,
Is it for thy fear [of him] that he reproveth thee, that he entereth with thee into judgment?
5 Et non propter malitiam tuam plurimam, et infinitas iniquitates tuas?
Is not thy wickedness great? neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
6 Abstulisti enim pignus fratrum tuorum sine causa, et nudos spoliasti vestibus.
For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Aquam lasso non dedisti, et esurienti subtraxisti panem.
Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 In fortitudine brachii tui possidebas terram, et potentissimus obtinebas eam.
But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man, he dwelt in it.
9 Viduas dimisisti vacuas, et lacertos pupillorum comminuisti.
Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Propterea circumdatus es laqueis, et conturbat te formido subita.
Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee,
11 Et putabas te tenebras non visurum, et impetu aquarum inundantium non oppressum iri?
Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 An non cogitas quod Deus excelsior caelo sit, et super stellarum verticem sublimetur?
Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 Et dicis: Quid enim novit Deus? et quasi per caliginem iudicat.
And thou sayest, What doth God know? can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Nubes latibulum eius, nec nostra considerat, et circa cardines caeli perambulat.
Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
15 Numquid semitam saeculorum custodire cupis, quam calcaverunt viri iniqui?
Wilt thou keep the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Qui sublati sunt ante tempus suum, et fluvius subvertit fundamentum eorum:
Who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream:
17 Qui dicebant Deo: Recede a nobis: et quasi nihil posset facere Omnipotens, aestimabant eum:
Who said unto God, Depart from us; and, What can the Almighty do for us?
18 Cum ille implesset domos eorum bonis, quorum sententia procul sit a me.
Yet he fired their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 Videbunt iusti, et laetabuntur, et innocens subsannabit eos.
The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn:
20 Nonne succisa est erectio eorum, et reliquias eorum devoravit ignis?
[Saying], Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off, and the remnant of them the fire hath consumed.
21 Acquiesce igitur ei, et habeto pacem: et per haec habebis fructus optimos.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Suscipe ex ore illius legem, et pone sermones eius in corde tuo.
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 Si reversus fueris ad Omnipotentem, aedificaberis, et longe facies iniquitatem a tabernaculo tuo.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up; if thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.
24 Dabit pro terra silicem, et pro silice torrentes aureos.
And lay thou [thy] treasure in the dust, and [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the brooks;
25 Eritque Omnipotens contra hostes tuos, et argentum coacervabitur tibi.
And the Almighty shall be thy treasure, and precious silver unto thee.
26 Tunc super Omnipotentem deliciis afflues, et elevabis ad Deum faciem tuam.
For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Rogabis eum, et exaudiet te, et vota tua reddes.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee; and thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Decernes rem, et veniet tibi, et in viis tuis splendebit lumen.
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 Qui enim humiliatus fuerit, erit in gloria: et qui inclinaverit oculos, ipse salvabitur.
When they cast [thee] down, thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; and the humble person he shall save.
30 Salvabitur innocens, salvabitur autem in munditia manuum suarum.
He shall deliver [even] him that is not innocent: yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thine hands.