Job 22
1 respondens autem Eliphaz Themanites dixit
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 numquid Deo conparari potest homo etiam cum perfectae fuerit scientiae
“Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?
3 quid prodest Deo si iustus fueris aut quid ei confers si inmaculata 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 iudicium
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 oppressurum
it is so dark you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
12 an cogitas quod Deus excelsior caelo et super stellarum vertices 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 iudicat
Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness?
14 nubes latibulum eius nec nostra considerat et circa cardines caeli perambulat
Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us as He traverses the vault of heaven.’
15 numquid semitam saeculorum 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 possit facere Omnipotens aestimabant 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 iusti et laetabuntur 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 adquiesce igitur ei et habeto pacem et per haec 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 eius in corde tuo
Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.
23 si reversus fueris ad Omnipotentem aedificaberis 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 suos ipse salvabitur
When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly.
30 salvabitur innocens salvabitur autem munditia manuum suarum
He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
