Job 22
Easy-to-Read Version
Eliphaz Answers Job
22 Then Eliphaz from Teman answered:
2 “Does God need our help?
Even the wisest of us is not really useful to him.
3 Does your living right benefit him?
Does God All-Powerful gain anything if you follow him?
4 Why does God blame and punish you?
Is it because you worship him?
5 No, it is because you sin so much.
You never stop sinning.
6 Maybe to guarantee loans you took things from people for no reason.
Maybe you took a poor man’s clothes to make sure he paid you back.[a]
7 Maybe you failed to give water or food
to people who were tired or hungry.
8 You have a lot of farmland,
and people respect you.
9 But maybe you sent widows away without giving them anything.
And maybe you took advantage of orphans.
10 That is why traps are all around you,
and sudden trouble makes you afraid.
11 That is why it is so dark you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.
12 “God lives in the highest part of heaven
and looks down on the highest stars.
13 But you might say, ‘What does God know?
Can he see through the dark clouds to judge us?
14 Thick clouds hide us from his eyes,
so he cannot see us as he walks around the edge of the sky.’
15 “Job, you are walking on the old path
that evil people walked on long ago.
16 They were destroyed before it was their time to die.
They were washed away by the flood.
17 They told God, ‘Leave us alone!’
and said, ‘God All-Powerful cannot do anything to us!’
18 And it was God who filled their houses with good things.
No, I would never follow the advice of evil people.
19 Those who do what is right are happy to see them destroyed.
The innocent laugh at them and say,
20 ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed!
Their wealth burned up in the fire!’
21 “Now, Job, give yourself to God and make peace with him.
Do this, and you will get many good things.
22 Accept his teaching.
Pay attention to what he says.
23 If you return to God All-Powerful, you will be restored.
But remove the evil from your house.
24 Think of your gold as nothing but dirt.
Think of your finest gold as rocks from a stream.
25 And let God All-Powerful be your gold.
Let him be your pile of silver.
26 Then you will enjoy God All-Powerful,
and you will look up to him.
27 When you pray, he will hear you.
And you will be able to do all that you promised him.
28 If you decide to do something, it will be successful.
And your future will be very bright!
29 When people are brought down and you ask God to help them,
he will rescue those who have been humbled.
30 Even those who are guilty will be forgiven.
They will be saved because you did what was right.”
Footnotes
- Job 22:6 paid you back See Deut. 24:12-13 for rules about making loans to the poor.
Job 22
New King James Version
Eliphaz Accuses Job of Wickedness
22 Then (A)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “Can(B) a man be profitable to God,
Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?
4 “Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
And enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquity without end?
6 For you have (C)taken pledges from your brother for no reason,
And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You have not given the weary water to drink,
And you (D)have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 But the [a]mighty man possessed the land,
And the honorable man dwelt in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty,
And the [b]strength of the fatherless was crushed.
10 Therefore snares are all around you,
And sudden fear troubles you,
11 Or darkness so that you cannot see;
And an abundance of (E)water covers you.
12 “Is not God in the height of heaven?
And see the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13 And you say, (F)‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the deep darkness?
14 (G)Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see,
And He walks above the circle of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the old way
Which wicked men have trod,
16 Who (H)were cut down before their time,
Whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
17 (I)They said to God, ‘Depart from us!
What can the Almighty do to [c]them?’
18 Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 “The(J) righteous see it and are glad,
And the innocent laugh at them:
20 ‘Surely our [d]adversaries are cut down,
And the fire consumes their remnant.’
21 “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and (K)be at peace;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive, please, (L)instruction from His mouth,
And (M)lay up His words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;
You will remove iniquity far from your tents.
24 Then you will (N)lay your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
25 Yes, the Almighty will be your [e]gold
And your precious silver;
26 For then you will have your (O)delight in the Almighty,
And lift up your face to God.
27 (P)You will make your prayer to Him,
He will hear you,
And you will pay your vows.
28 You will also declare a thing,
And it will be established for you;
So light will shine on your ways.
29 When they cast you down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’
Then (Q)He will save the humble person.
30 He will even deliver one who is not innocent;
Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.”
Job 22
King James Version
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be 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 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
6 For thou hast taken a pledge from 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 the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man 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 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
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 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
约伯记 22
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)
以利法历指约伯之罪
22 提幔人以利法回答说： 2 “人岂能使神有益呢？智慧人但能有益于己。 3 你为人公义，岂叫全能者喜悦呢？你行为完全，岂能使他得利呢？ 4 岂是因你敬畏他，就责备你、审判你吗？ 5 你的罪恶岂不是大吗？你的罪孽也没有穷尽。 6 因你无故强取弟兄的物为当头，剥去贫寒人的衣服。 7 困乏的人，你没有给他水喝；饥饿的人，你没有给他食物。 8 有能力的人就得地土，尊贵的人也住在其中。 9 你打发寡妇空手回去，折断孤儿的膀臂。 10 因此，有网罗环绕你，有恐惧忽然使你惊惶； 11 或有黑暗蒙蔽你，并有洪水淹没你。
12 “神岂不是在高天吗？你看星宿何其高呢？ 13 你说：‘神知道什么？他岂能看透幽暗施行审判呢？ 14 密云将他遮盖，使他不能看见；他周游穹苍。’ 15 你要依从上古的道吗？这道是恶人所行的。 16 他们未到死期，忽然除灭；根基毁坏，好像被江河冲去。 17 他们向神说：‘离开我们吧！’又说：‘全能者能把我们怎么样呢？’ 18 哪知，神以美物充满他们的房屋，但恶人所谋定的离我好远。 19 义人看见他们的结局就欢喜，无辜的人嗤笑他们， 20 说：‘那起来攻击我们的果然被剪除，其余的都被火烧灭。’
劝其认识神而得平安
21 “你要认识神，就得平安，福气也必临到你。 22 你当领受他口中的教训，将他的言语存在心里。 23 你若归向全能者，从你帐篷中远除不义，就必得建立。 24 要将你的珍宝丢在尘土里，将俄斐的黄金丢在溪河石头之间， 25 全能者就必为你的珍宝，做你的宝银。 26 你就要以全能者为喜乐，向神仰起脸来。 27 你要祷告他，他就听你，你也要还你的愿。 28 你定意要做何事，必然给你成就，亮光也必照耀你的路。 29 人使你降卑，你仍可说必得高升；谦卑的人，神必然拯救。 30 人非无辜，神且要搭救他，他因你手中清洁，必蒙拯救。”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Global Bible Initiative