Job 22
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
Can a man be profitable to God? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him that you make your ways perfect?
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 your piety that he reproves you, that he enters with you into judgment?
Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Isn’t your wickedness great? Neither is there any end to your iniquities.
Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?
6 For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.
7 You haven’t given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth. The honorable man, he lived in it.
But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Widows hast thou sent empty away, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are around you. Sudden fear troubles you,
Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11 or darkness, so that you can not see, and floods of waters cover you.
Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods of waters cover thee.
12 “Isn’t God in the heights of heaven? See the height of the stars, how high they are!
Is not God in the height of the heavens? And behold the summit of the stars: how exalted are they!
13 You say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn’t see. He walks on the vault of the sky.’
Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens.
15 Will you keep the old way, which wicked men have trodden,
Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden?
16 who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;
17 who said to God, ‘Depart from us!’ and, ‘What can the Almighty do for us?’
Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things, but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
Yet he filled their houses with good. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad. The innocent ridicule them,
The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn:
20 saying, ‘Surely those who rose up against us are cut off. The fire has consumed their remnant.’
Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?
21 “Acquaint yourself with him now, and be at peace. By it, good will come to you.
Reconcile thyself now with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Please receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up, if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. If thou remove unrighteousness far from thy tents,
24 Lay your treasure in the dust, the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
And put the precious ore with the dust, and [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the torrents,
25 The Almighty will be your treasure, and precious silver to you.
Then the Almighty will be thy precious ore, and silver heaped up unto thee;
26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and will lift up your face to God.
Yea, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God:
27 You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you. You will pay your vows.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows;
28 You will also decree a thing, and it will be established to you. Light will shine on your ways.
And thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When they cast down, you will say, ‘be lifted up.’ He will save the humble person.
When they are made low, then thou shalt say, Rise up! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes.
30 He will even deliver him who is not innocent. Yes, he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
[Even] him that is not innocent shall he deliver; yea, he shall be delivered by the pureness of thy hands.
