Job 22
Revised Standard Version
Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great
22 Then Eli′phaz the Te′manite answered:
2 “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 righteous,
or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you,
and enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great?
There is no end to your iniquities.
6 For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing,
and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You have given no water to the weary to drink,
and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 The man with power possessed the land,
and the favored man dwelt in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty,
and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.
10 Therefore snares are round about you,
and sudden terror overwhelms you;
11 your light is darkened, so that[a] you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.
12 “Is not God high in the heavens?
See the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13 Therefore you say, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge through the deep darkness?
14 Thick clouds enwrap him, so that he does not see,
and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the old way
which wicked men have trod?
16 They were snatched away before their time;
their foundation was washed away.
17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’
and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’[b]
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things—
but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent laugh them to scorn,
20 saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
and what they left the fire has consumed.’
21 “Agree with God, and be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty and humble yourself,[c]
if you remove unrighteousness far from your tents,
24 if you lay gold in the dust,
and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent bed,
25 and if the Almighty is your gold,
and your precious silver;
26 then you will delight yourself in the Almighty,
and lift up your face to God.
27 You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you;
and you will pay your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 For God abases the proud,[d]
but he saves the lowly.
30 He delivers the innocent man;[e]
you will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
Job 22
American Standard Version
22 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God?
Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous?
Or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Is it [a]for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee,
That he entereth with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness great?
Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
6 For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought,
And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink,
And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for [b]the mighty man, he had the [c]earth;
And [d]the honorable man, he dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty,
And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee,
And sudden fear troubleth thee,
11 [e]Or darkness, so that thou canst not see,
And abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven?
And behold the [f]height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And thou sayest, What doth God know?
Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not;
And he walketh on the vault of heaven.
15 [g]Wilt thou keep the old way
Which wicked men have trodden?
16 Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
17 Who said unto God, Depart from us;
And, What can the Almighty do [h]for [i]us?
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things:
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad;
And the innocent laugh them to scorn,
20 Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off,
And [j]the remnant of them the fire hath consumed.
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace:
[k]Thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, [l]the law from his mouth,
And lay up his words in thy heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up,
[m]If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.
24 And lay thou thy [n]treasure [o]in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks;
25 And the Almighty will be thy [p]treasure,
And [q]precious silver unto thee.
26 For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty,
And shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee;
And thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee;
And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When they [r]cast thee down, thou shalt say, There is lifting up;
And [s]the humble person he will save.
30 He will deliver even him that is not innocent:
Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.
Footnotes
- Job 22:4 Or, for fear of thee
- Job 22:8 Hebrew the man of arm.
- Job 22:8 Or, land
- Job 22:8 Hebrew he whose person is accepted.
- Job 22:11 Or, Or dost thou not see the darkness, And the flood of waters that covereth thee?
- Job 22:12 Hebrew head.
- Job 22:15 Or, Dost thou mark
- Job 22:17 Or, to
- Job 22:17 Hebrew them.
- Job 22:20 Or, that which remained to them. Or, their abundance
- Job 22:21 Or, as otherwise read, Thereby shall thine increase be good.
- Job 22:22 Or, instruction
- Job 22:23 Or, Thou shalt put away . . . And shalt lay up
- Job 22:24 Hebrew ore.
- Job 22:24 Or, on the earth
- Job 22:25 Hebrew ore.
- Job 22:25 Or, precious silver shall be thine
- Job 22:29 Or, are made low
- Job 22:29 Hebrew him that is lowly of eyes.
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