Job 22
1 Entonces Elifaz el temanita respondió y dijo:
Then Eliphaz replied,
2 “¿Cómo puede alguien ser de ayuda a Dios? Incluso los sabios sólo se ayudan a sí mismos.
“(Can anyone be useful to God?/Certainly no one can be useful to God.) [RHQ] Even people who are wise cannot be helpful to God.
3 ¿Acaso le sirve de algo al Todopoderoso que seas una buena persona? ¿Qué gana él si haces lo correcto?
If you were righteous, (would that benefit Almighty [God]?/that certainly would not benefit Almighty [God].) [RHQ] If you had (lived a perfect life/never done anything that is wrong), would that help him?
4 ¿Acaso te corrige y te acusa por tu reverencia?
“Is it because you have an awesome respect for God that he punishes you? Is that the reason that he puts you on trial?
5 No ¡Es porque eres muy malvado! ¡Tus pecados son interminables!
No, it certainly must be [RHQ] because you are extremely wicked. It must be that the evil things that you have done are so many that no one can count them!
6 Sin motivo alguno tomaste la ropa de tu hermano como garantía de una deuda y lo dejaste desnudo.
You must have lent money to others and wrongly forced them to give you things to guarantee that they would pay that money back to you; you must have taken all their clothes and left them with nothing to wear.
7 Le negaste el agua al sediento y alimento al hambriento.
You must not have given water to those who were thirsty, and you must have refused to give food to those who were hungry.
8 ¿Es que acaso la tierra le pertenece a los poderosos, y sólo los privilegiados tienen derecho a vivir en ella?
Because you were very powerful, you [must have] taken over all the people’s land, and then, being very respected, you have begun to live on that land.
9 Has despedido a las viudas con las manos vacías; has aplastado los brazos extendidos de los huérfanos, que pedían ayuda.
[When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
10 Por eso estás rodeado de trampas para atraparte, y por eso de repente te asusta el terror.
Because of all that, now there are pits around you for you to fall into, and suddenly there are things that terrify you and cause you to tremble.
11 Por eso está tan oscuro que no puedes ver, y por eso sientes que te ahogas.
[It is as though] it has become very dark, with the result that you cannot see anything, and [it is as though] [MET] a flood covers you.
12 “¿Acaso Dios no vive en el cielo más alto y mira hasta las estrellas más altas?
“[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
13 Pero tú preguntas: ‘¿Qué sabe Dios? ¿Cómo puede ver y juzgar lo que ocurre aquí abajo, en la oscuridad?
So why do you say, ‘What does God know [about what we are doing]? [He is hidden from us by] dark clouds, so ([how] can he judge us?/he certainly cannot judge us.) [RHQ]’
14 Unas densas nubes lo cubren para que no pueda ver nada mientras camina por el cielo’.
[Do you think that] while he walks on the dome that covers the sky, there are thick clouds around him, with the result that he cannot see [what we do]?
15 “¿Por qué insistes en seguir el pensamiento tradicional de los malvados?
Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
16 Fueron llevados antes de tiempo; todo lo que habían construido fue arrasado.
They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
17 Habían dicho a Dios: ‘¡Vete lejos! ¿Qué puede hacernos el Todopoderoso?’
They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
18 Y, sin embargo, era él quien había llenado sus casas de bienes; pero no aceptaba su manera de pensar”.
But it was God who filled their houses with good things, so I cannot at all understand why wicked people think like they do.
19 “Los que hacen el bien se alegran cuando ven la destrucción de los malvados, y los inocentes se burlan de ellos,
“But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
20 diciendo: ‘Nuestros enemigos han sido destruidos, y el fuego ha quemado todo lo que queda de ellos’.
They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
21 “Vuelve a Dios y reconcíliate con él, y volverás a ser próspero.
“So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
22 Escucha lo que te dice y no olvides sus palabras.
Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
23 Si te vuelves a Dios serás restaurado. Si renuncias a tu vida pecaminosa
If you humble yourself and return to God, if you stop doing all the evil things that you have been doing in your house,
24 y dejas tu amor por el dinero y el deseo de posesiones,
if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
25 entonces el Todopoderoso será tu oro y tu plata preciosa.
and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
26 “Entonces te deleitarás en el Todopoderoso y podrás darle la cara sin sentirte avergonzado.
you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
27 Orarás a él, y él te escuchará, y cumplirás tus promesas a él.
You will pray to him, and he will do what you request him to do; you will do the things that you promised him that you would do.
28 Todo lo que decidas hacer tendrá éxito, y dondequiera que vayas, la luz brillará sobre ti.
Everything that you decide to do will be successful; [it] will [be as though] a light [is] shining on the road in front of you.
29 Cuando otros se humillen y digas: ‘Por favor, ayúdales’, Dios los salvará.
God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
30 Dios salva a los inocentes, y tú te salvarás si haces lo que es justo”.
God rescues those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong), so he will rescue you if you (start doing things that are right/are not guilty [IDM] of doing things that are wrong).”
