Job 22
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded and said,
2 Can a man be profitable to God? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.
“How can anyone be of help to God? Even wise people are only helpful to themselves.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?
Is it any benefit to the Almighty if you're a good person? What does he gain if you do what's right?
4 Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
Does he correct you and bring charges against you because of your reverence?
5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?
No: it's because you're so wicked! Your sins are never-ending!
6 For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.
For no reason at all you took your brother's clothing as a security for a debt, and left them stripped naked.
7 Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
You refused water to the thirsty; you denied food to the hungry.
8 But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.
Is it because the land belongs to the powerful, and only the privileged have a right to live there?
9 Widows hast thou sent empty away, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
You have sent widows away empty-handed; you have crushed the outstretched arms of orphans, begging for help.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
That's why you're surrounded by traps to catch you, and why you suddenly panic in terror.
11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods of waters cover thee.
That's why it's so dark you cannot see, and why you feel like you're drowning.
12 Is not God in the height of the heavens? And behold the summit of the stars: how exalted are they!
Doesn't God live in highest heaven and looks down on even the highest stars?
13 And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?
But you ask, ‘What does God know? How can he see and judge what happens in down here in darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens.
Thick clouds cover him so he can't see anything as he walks around in heaven.’
15 Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden?
Why do you insist on following the traditional thinking of the wicked?
16 Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;
They were taken before their time; all they had built was washed away.
17 Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?
They had told God, ‘Get lost! What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 Yet he filled their houses with good. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
And yet he was the one who had filled their homes with good things—but I don't accept their way of thinking.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn:
Those who do right rejoice when they see the destruction of the wicked, and the innocent mock them,
20 Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?
saying, ‘Our enemies are destroyed, and fire has burned up all that's left of them.’
21 Reconcile thyself now with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
Come back to God and be reconciled to him, and you'll be prosperous again.
22 Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.
Listen to what he tells you and keep his words in mind.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. If thou remove unrighteousness far from thy tents,
If you return to God you will be restored. If you renounce your sinful life
24 And put the precious ore with the dust, and [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the torrents,
and give up your love of money and desire for possessions,
25 Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore, and silver heaped up unto thee;
then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver.
26 Yea, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God:
Then you will find delight in the Almighty, and be able to face him without feeling ashamed.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;
You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will keep your promises to him.
28 And thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and light shall shine upon thy ways.
Whatever you decide to do will be successful, and wherever you go, light will shine on you.
29 When they are made low, then thou shalt say, Rise up! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes.
When others are humbled, and you say, ‘please help them,’ God will save them.
30 [Even] him that is not innocent shall he deliver; yea, he shall be delivered by the pureness of thy hands.
God saves those who are innocent, and you will be saved if you do what is right.”
