Job 22

1 Then Eliphaz the Thaemanite answered and said,

Then Eliphaz replied,

2 Is it not the Lord that teaches understanding and knowledge?

“(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 For what matters it to the Lord, if you were blameless in [your] works? or is it profitable that you should perfect your way?

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 Will you maintain and plead your own cause? and will he enter into judgment with you?

“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 Is not your wickedness abundant, and your sins innumerable?

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 And you have taken security of your brethren for nothing, and have taken away the clothing of the naked.

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 Neither have you given water to the thirsty to drink, but have taken away the morsel of the hungry.

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 And you have accepted the persons of some; and you have established those [that were already settled] on the earth.

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 But you have sent widows away empty, and has afflicted orphans.

[When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.

10 Therefore snares have compassed you, and disastrous war has troubled you.

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 The light has proved darkness to you, and water has covered you on your lying down.

[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 Does not he that dwells in the high places observe? and has he not brought down the proud?

“[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.

13 And you has said, What does the Mighty One know? does he judge in the dark?

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 A cloud is his hiding-place, and he shall not be seen; and he passes through the circle of heaven.

[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 Will you [not] mark the old way, which righteous men have trodden?

Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?

16 who were seized before their time: their foundations [are as] an overflowing stream.

They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].

17 Who say, What will the Lord do to us? or what will the Almighty bring upon us?

They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’

18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel for the wicked is far from him.

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 The righteous have seen [it], and laughed, and the blameless one has derided [them].

“But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.

20 Verily their substance has been utterly destroyed, and the fire shall devour what is left of their [property].

They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’

21 Be firm, I pray you, if you can endure; then your fruit shall prosper.

“So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.

22 And receive a declaration from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.

Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.

23 And if you shall turn and humble yourself before the Lord, you have [thus] removed unrighteousness far from your habitation.

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 You shall lay up for yourself [treasure] in a heap on the rock; and Sophir [shall be] as the rock of the torrent.

if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],

25 So the Almighty shall be your helper from enemies, and he shall bring you forth pure as silver that has been tried by fire.

and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],

26 Then shall you have boldness before the Lord, looking up cheerfully to heaven.

you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].

27 And he shall hear you when you pray to him, and he shall grant you [power] to pay your vows.

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 And he shall establish to you again a habitation of righteousness and there shall be light upon your paths.

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 Because you have humbled yourself; and you shall say, [Man] has behaved proudly, but he shall save him that is of lowly eyes.

God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.

30 He shall deliver the innocent, and do you save yourself by your pure hands.

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).”