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Eliphaz Speaks: Admit You Are Wicked, Job

22 Then Eliphaz from Teman replied to Job,

“Can a human be of any use to El
    when even a wise person is only useful to himself?
Is Shadday pleased when you are righteous?
    Does he gain anything when you follow the path of integrity?
Does God correct you
    and bring you into a court of law because you fear him?

“Aren’t you really very wicked?
    Is there no end to your wrongdoing?
For no reason you take your brothers’ goods as security for a loan
    and strip them of their clothes.[a]
You don’t even give a tired person a drink of water,
    and you take food away from hungry people.
        A strong person owns the land.
        A privileged person lives in it.
You send widows away empty-handed,
    and the arms of orphans are broken.
10 That is why traps are all around you
    and great fear suddenly grips you.
11 That is why darkness surrounds you and you cannot see
    and a flood of water covers you.

12 “Isn’t Eloah high above in the heavens?
    Look how high the highest stars are!
13 You ask, ‘What does El know?
    Can he judge anything from behind a dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds surround him so that he cannot see.
    He walks above the clouds.’[b]

15 “Are you following the old path that wicked people have taken?
16 They are snatched up before their time.
    A river washes their foundation away.
17 They told El, ‘Leave us alone!
    What can Shadday do for us?’
18 Yet, he filled their homes with good things.
    (The plan of the wicked is foreign to my way of thinking.)
19 The righteous saw it and were glad,
    and the innocent made fun of them by saying,
20 ‘Indeed, their wealth has been wiped out,
    and a fire has burned up what little they had left.’

Make Peace with God

21 “Be in harmony and at peace with God.
    In this way you will have prosperity.
22 Accept instruction from his mouth,
    and keep his words in your heart.
23 If you return to Shadday you will prosper.
    If you put wrongdoing out of your tent,
24 and lay your gold down in the dust,
    and put your gold from Ophir among the pebbles in the rivers,
25 then Shadday will become your gold
    and your large supply of silver.
26 Then you will be happy with Shadday
    and look up toward Eloah.
27 You will pray to him, and he will listen to you,
    and you will keep your vow to him.
28 When you promise to do something, you will succeed,
    and light will shine on your path.
29 When others are discouraged, you will say, ‘Cheer up!’
    Then he will save the humble person.[c]
30 He will rescue one who is not innocent.
    That person will be rescued by your purity.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 22:6 Clothes were often used as security deposits for loans in biblical times.
  2. Job 22:14 English equivalent difficult.
  3. Job 22:29 Or “you will say, ‘It’s conceit.’ But he will save the humble person.”

Eliphaz

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(A) replied:

“Can a man be of benefit to God?(B)
    Can even a wise person benefit him?(C)
What pleasure(D) would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?(E)
    What would he gain if your ways were blameless?(F)

“Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
    and brings charges against you?(G)
Is not your wickedness great?
    Are not your sins(H) endless?(I)
You demanded security(J) from your relatives for no reason;(K)
    you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.(L)
You gave no water(M) to the weary
    and you withheld food from the hungry,(N)
though you were a powerful man, owning land(O)
    an honored man,(P) living on it.(Q)
And you sent widows(R) away empty-handed(S)
    and broke the strength of the fatherless.(T)
10 That is why snares(U) are all around you,(V)
    why sudden peril terrifies you,(W)
11 why it is so dark(X) you cannot see,
    and why a flood of water covers you.(Y)

12 “Is not God in the heights of heaven?(Z)
    And see how lofty are the highest stars!
13 Yet you say, ‘What does God know?(AA)
    Does he judge through such darkness?(AB)
14 Thick clouds(AC) veil him, so he does not see us(AD)
    as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’(AE)
15 Will you keep to the old path
    that the wicked(AF) have trod?(AG)
16 They were carried off before their time,(AH)
    their foundations(AI) washed away by a flood.(AJ)
17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
    What can the Almighty do to us?’(AK)
18 Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,(AL)
    so I stand aloof from the plans of the wicked.(AM)
19 The righteous see their ruin and rejoice;(AN)
    the innocent mock(AO) them, saying,
20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed,(AP)
    and fire(AQ) devours their wealth.’

21 “Submit to God and be at peace(AR) with him;(AS)
    in this way prosperity will come to you.(AT)
22 Accept instruction from his mouth(AU)
    and lay up his words(AV) in your heart.(AW)
23 If you return(AX) to the Almighty, you will be restored:(AY)
    If you remove wickedness far from your tent(AZ)
24 and assign your nuggets(BA) to the dust,
    your gold(BB) of Ophir(BC) to the rocks in the ravines,(BD)
25 then the Almighty will be your gold,(BE)
    the choicest silver for you.(BF)
26 Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty(BG)
    and will lift up your face(BH) to God.(BI)
27 You will pray to him,(BJ) and he will hear you,(BK)
    and you will fulfill your vows.(BL)
28 What you decide on will be done,(BM)
    and light(BN) will shine on your ways.(BO)
29 When people are brought low(BP) and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
    then he will save the downcast.(BQ)
30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent,(BR)
    who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”(BS)