Job 22

1 Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said: —

And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 Unto GOD, can a man act as friend? Surely a discreet man befriendeth himself!

Can a man be profitable to God? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.

3 Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou shouldst be righteous? or any profit, that thou shouldst be blameless in thy ways?

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?

4 Is it, for thy reverence, that he will accuse thee? will enter with thee into judgment?

Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?

5 Is not, thy wickedness, great? and, without end, [are not] thine iniquities?

Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?

6 Surely then hast been wont to put thy brother in pledge, for nothing, and, the garments of the ill-clad, hast thou stripped off:

For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.

7 No water—to the weary, hast thou given to drink, and, from the hungry, thou hast withheld bread:

Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.

8 A man of might, to him, pertaineth the land, and, the favorite, dwelleth therein:

But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.

9 Widows, thou hast sent away empty, and, the arms of the fatherless, thou dost crush.

Widows hast thou sent empty away, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

10 For this cause, round about thee, are snares, and a dread startleth thee suddenly;

Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;

11 Or darkness—thou canst not see, and, a flood of waters, covereth thee.

Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods of waters cover thee.

12 Is not, GOD, [in] the height of the heavens? Behold, then, the head of the stars, that they are high.

Is not God in the height of the heavens? And behold the summit of the stars: how exalted are they!

13 Wilt thou say then, What doth GOD know? Out through a thick cloud, can he judge?

And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?

14 Dark clouds, are a veil to him, and he cannot see, or, the vault of the heavens, doth he walk?

Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens.

15 The path of the ancient time, wilt thou mark, which the men of iniquity trod?

Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden?

16 Who were snatched away before the time, and, a stream, washed away their foundation?

Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;

17 Who had been saying unto GOD, Depart from us! and—What can the Almighty do for himself?

Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?

18 Yet, he, had filled their houses with good! The counsel of the lawless, then, is far from me:

Yet he filled their houses with good. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

19 The righteous shall see and rejoice, and, the innocent, shall laugh them to scorn:

The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn:

20 If our assailants do not vanish, then, their abundance, a fire consumeth!

Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?

21 Shew thyself to be one with him—I pray thee—and prosper, thereby, shall there come on thee blessing.

Reconcile thyself now with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

22 Accept, I beseech thee, from his mouth—instruction, —and lay up his sayings in thy heart.

Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.

23 If thou return unto the Almighty and submit thyself, if thou far remove perversity from thy tent,

If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. If thou remove unrighteousness far from thy tents,

24 Then lay up, in the dust, precious ore, and, among the stones of the torrent-beds, fine gold:

And put the precious ore with the dust, and [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the torrents,

25 So shall, the Almighty, become, thy precious ores, yea glittering silver unto thee!

Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore, and silver heaped up unto thee;

26 For, then, in the Almighty, shalt thou take exquisite delight, and shalt lift up—unto GOD—thy face;

Yea, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God:

27 Thou shalt make entreaty unto him, and he will hear thee, and, thy vows, shalt thou pay;

Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;

28 And thou shalt decree a purpose, and it shall be fulfilled unto thee, and, upon thy ways, shall have shone a light;

And thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and light shall shine upon thy ways.

29 When men cast themselves down, then thou shalt say: Up! And, him that is of downcast eyes, shall he save;

When they are made low, then thou shalt say, Rise up! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes.

30 He shall deliver the innocent, and thou shalt escape by the pureness of thy hands.

[Even] him that is not innocent shall he deliver; yea, he shall be delivered by the pureness of thy hands.