Job 22

Eliphaz Says Job Must Repent

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 “Can a mighty man be of use to God,
Or an insightful man be useful to himself?
3 “Is there any pleasure to ^{▼▼Heb Shaddai}the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?
4 “Is it because of your reverent fear that He reproves you,
That He enters into judgment against you?
5 “Is not your evil great,
And your iniquities without end?
6 “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped the clothing of the naked.
7 “To the weary you have given no water to drink,
And from the hungry you have withheld bread.
8 “But the earth belongs to the mighty man,
And the ^{▼▼Lit the one whose face is lifted up}highly respected man inhabits it.
9 “You have sent widows away empty,
And the ^{▼▼Lit arms}might of the orphans has been crushed.
10 “Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies you,
11 Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an abundance of water covers you.
12 “Is not God in the height of heaven?
Look also at the ^{▼▼Lit head, top-most}distant stars, how high they are!
13 “You say, ‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the dense gloom?
14 ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the ^{▼▼Lit circle}vault of heaven.’
15 “Will you keep to the ancient path
Which wicked men have trod,
16 Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundations were ^{▼▼Lit poured out}washed away by a river?
17 “They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’
And ‘What can ^{▼▼Heb Shaddai}the Almighty do to them?’
18 “Yet He filled their houses with good things,
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 “The righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,
20 Saying, ‘Truly those who rise against us are wiped out,
And their ^{▼▼Or excess}abundance the fire has consumed.’
21 “ ^{▼▼Or Make yourself useful, cf. Job 22:2}Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 “Please receive ^{▼▼Or law}instruction from His mouth
And set His words in your heart.
23 “If you return to ^{▼▼Heb Shaddai}the Almighty, you will be ^{▼▼Lit built up}restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
24 And put your ^{▼▼Lit ore}gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25 Then ^{▼▼Heb Shaddai}the Almighty will be your ^{▼▼Lit ore}gold
And choice silver to you.
26 “For then you will delight in ^{▼▼Heb Shaddai}the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
27 “You will entreat Him, and He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
28 “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.
29 “When ^{▼▼Lit they cast you down}some are cast down, you will speak with ^{▼▼Lit pride}confidence,
And the ^{▼▼Lit lowly of eyes}humble person He will save.
30 “He will provide escape for one who is not innocent,
And he will escape through the cleanness of your hands.”