Job 22
New International Version
Eliphaz
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(A) replied:
2 “Can a man be of benefit to God?(B)
Can even a wise person benefit him?(C)
3 What pleasure(D) would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?(E)
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?(F)
4 “Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?(G)
5 Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins(H) endless?(I)
6 You demanded security(J) from your relatives for no reason;(K)
you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.(L)
7 You gave no water(M) to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,(N)
8 though you were a powerful man, owning land(O)—
an honored man,(P) living on it.(Q)
9 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)
Job 22
English Standard Version
Eliphaz Speaks: Job's Wickedness Is Great
22 Then (A)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 (B)“Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
or is it gain to him if you (C)make your ways blameless?
4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
and (D)enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your evil abundant?
There is no end to your iniquities.
6 For you have (E)exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
(F)and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You have given no water to the weary to drink,
and you have (G)withheld bread from the hungry.
8 (H)The man with power possessed the land,
and (I)the favored man lived in it.
9 You have (J)sent widows away empty,
and (K)the arms of (L)the fatherless were crushed.
10 Therefore (M)snares are all around you,
and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11 or (N)darkness, so that you cannot see,
and a (O)flood of (P)water covers you.
12 “Is not God high in the heavens?
See (Q)the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13 But you say, (R)‘What does God know?
Can he judge through (S)the deep darkness?
14 (T)Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the old way
that wicked men have trod?
16 They were snatched away (U)before their time;
their foundation was washed away.[a]
17 They said to God, (V)‘Depart from us,’
and (W)‘What can the Almighty do to us?’[b]
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things—
but (X)the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 (Y)The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent one (Z)mocks at them,
20 saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
and what they left (AA)the fire has consumed.’
21 (AB)“Agree with God, and (AC)be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from (AD)his mouth,
and (AE)lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you (AF)return to the Almighty you will be (AG)built up;
if you (AH)remove injustice far from your tents,
24 if you lay gold in (AI)the dust,
and gold of (AJ)Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
26 For then you (AK)will delight yourself in the Almighty
and (AL)lift up your face to God.
27 You will (AM)make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you will (AN)pay your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and (AO)light will shine on your ways.
29 For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;[c]
but he saves (AP)the lowly.
30 He (AQ)delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through (AR)the cleanness of your hands.”
Job 22
New American Standard Bible
Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
2 “Can a strong (A)man be of use to God,
Or a wise one be useful to himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to [a]the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or gain if you make your ways blameless?
4 Is it because of your [b]reverence that He punishes you,
That He (B)enters into judgment against you?
5 Is (C)your wickedness not abundant,
And is there no end to your guilty deeds?
6 For you have (D)seized pledges from your brothers without cause,
And [c](E)stripped people naked.
7 You have (F)given the weary no water to drink,
And you have (G)withheld bread from the hungry.
8 But the earth (H)belongs to the (I)powerful man,
And (J)the one who is honorable dwells on it.
9 You have sent (K)widows away empty,
And the [d]strength of (L)orphans has been crushed.
10 Therefore (M)traps surround you,
And sudden (N)dread terrifies you,
11 Or (O)darkness, so that you cannot see,
And a (P)flood of water covers you.
12 “Is God not (Q)in the height of heaven?
Look also at the [e]highest stars, how high they are!
13 But you say, ‘(R)What does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14 (S)Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the [f]vault of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the ancient path
Which (T)wicked people have walked,
16 Who were snatched away (U)before their time,
Whose (V)foundations were [g]washed away by a river?
17 They (W)said to God, ‘Go away from us!’
And ‘What can [h]the Almighty do to them?’
18 Yet He (X)filled their houses with good things;
But (Y)the advice of the wicked is far from me.
19 The (Z)righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them, saying,
20 ‘Truly our enemies are eliminated,
And (AA)fire has consumed their [i]abundance.’
21 “(AB)Be reconciled with Him, and be at peace;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 Please receive [j](AC)instruction from His mouth,
And put His words in your heart.
23 If you (AD)return to [k]the Almighty, you will be [l]restored;
If you (AE)remove injustice far from your tent,
24 And (AF)put your [m]gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25 Then [n]the Almighty will be your [o]gold
And abundant silver to you.
26 For then you will (AG)take pleasure in [p]the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
27 You will (AH)pray to Him, and (AI)He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
28 You will also decide something, and it will be established for you;
And (AJ)light will shine on your ways.
29 When [q]they have brought you low, you will speak with [r]confidence,
And He will save the [s](AK)humble person.
30 He will rescue one who is not innocent,
And he will be (AL)rescued due to the cleanness of your hands.”
Footnotes
- Job 22:3 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:4 Or fear
- Job 22:6 Lit stripped clothing of the naked
- Job 22:9 Lit arms
- Job 22:12 Lit head, top-most
- Job 22:14 Lit circle
- Job 22:16 Lit poured out
- Job 22:17 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:20 Or excess
- Job 22:22 Or law
- Job 22:23 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:23 Lit built up
- Job 22:24 Lit ore
- Job 22:25 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:25 Lit ore
- Job 22:26 Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:29 Lit they cast you down
- Job 22:29 Lit pride
- Job 22:29 Lit lowly of eyes
Job 22
The Message
Eliphaz Attacks Job—The Third Round
Come to Terms with God
22 1-11 Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme:
“Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand,
or smart enough to give him advice?
So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice?
Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think
he’d applaud?
Do you think it’s because he cares about your purity
that he’s disciplining you, putting you on the spot?
Hardly! It’s because you’re a first-class moral failure,
because there’s no end to your sins.
When people came to you for help,
you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness.
You wouldn’t so much as give a drink to the thirsty,
or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry.
And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone,
surrounded by immense wealth!
You turned poor widows away from your door;
heartless, you crushed orphans.
Now you’re the one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear.
Suddenly the tables have turned!
How do you like living in the dark, sightless,
up to your neck in flood waters?
12-14 “You agree, don’t you, that God is in charge?
He runs the universe—just look at the stars!
Yet you dare raise questions: ‘What does God know?
From that distance and darkness, how can he judge?
He roams the heavens wrapped in clouds,
so how can he see us?’
15-18 “Are you going to persist in that tired old line
that wicked men and women have always used?
Where did it get them? They died young,
flash floods sweeping them off to their doom.
They told God, ‘Get lost!
What good is God Almighty to us?’
And yet it was God who gave them everything they had.
It’s beyond me how they can carry on like this!
19-20 “Good people see bad people crash, and call for a celebration.
Relieved, they crow,
‘At last! Our enemies—wiped out.
Everything they had and stood for is up in smoke!’
21-25 “Give in to God, come to terms with him
and everything will turn out just fine.
Let him tell you what to do;
take his words to heart.
Come back to God Almighty
and he’ll rebuild your life.
Clean house of everything evil.
Relax your grip on your money
and abandon your gold-plated luxury.
God Almighty will be your treasure,
more wealth than you can imagine.
26-30 “You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One,
and look to him joyfully, boldly.
You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen;
he’ll help you do what you’ve promised.
You’ll decide what you want and it will happen;
your life will be bathed in light.
To those who feel low you’ll say, ‘Chin up! Be brave!’
and God will save them.
Yes, even the guilty will escape,
escape through God’s grace in your life.”
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson