Job 22
New Catholic Bible
Third Cycle of Speeches[a]
Eliphaz’s Third Speech
Chapter 22
Is God Punishing You for Your Piety?[b] 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded:
2 “Can anyone be of the slightest interest to God,
even if that person is recognized for his wisdom?
3 Does the Almighty derive any pleasure if you are righteous?
Does he profit if you lead a blameless life?
4 Is he punishing you for your piety
and therefore will bring you to justice?
5 Is not your wickedness great?
Is there any limit to your iniquities?
The Injustice Job Has Committed[c]
6 “You have exacted pledges from your brothers as security
and left them naked, stripped of their clothing.[d]
7 To the thirsty you offered no water to drink,
and you withheld bread from those who were starving.
8 Should the land belong only to the powerful?
Are only those who are favored allowed to dwell in it?
9 “You have sent widows away empty-handed
and left orphans without any means of support.
10 That is why snares surround you
and sudden terror causes you to cringe,
11 why light has turned to darkness, leaving you unable to see,
and flood waters envelop you.
The Unbelief of Job
12 “Does not God who dwells in the heights of the heavens
behold how lofty are the highest stars?
13 Even so, you say, ‘What does God know?
How can he possibly judge through such deep darkness?
14 He cannot possibly see through the thick clouds
as he roams through the vault of the heavens.’
15 “Will you still continue to follow the ancient way
that those who are wicked have trod?
16 They were snatched away before their time;
their foundations were swept away by a flood.[e]
17 They had said to God, ‘Leave us alone!’
and thought, ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’
18 “Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things,
even though his plans and theirs were diametrically opposed.
19 The upright rejoice at witnessing such a spectacle,
and the innocent deride them:
20 ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed,
and what remained of their wealth has been consumed by fire.’[f]
If You Return to the Almighty . . .
21 “Come to terms with God and be reconciled.
In this way good fortune will come to you.
22 Accept the instruction from his lips
and keep his words in your heart.[g]
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
if you remove iniquity from your tent
24 and treat gold as if it were only dust
and the gold of Ophir[h] as pebbles from the stream,
25 then the Almighty himself will be your gold
and your precious silver.
26 “For then the Almighty will be your delight
and you will lift up your face to God.
27 You will pray to him and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.
28 Whatever decision you make will be successful,
and light will shine along your path.
29 For God brings low the arrogant
while he saves the humble.
30 He delivers anyone who is innocent;
if your hands are clean, you will be saved.”
Footnotes
- Job 22:1 In this third cycle of speeches, the debate on the human condition remains intense. Job gives a firm answer to the attacks of the three friends by protesting his innocence.
It is important to note that the biblical text itself has reached us in a corrupt form in some places; this makes it impossible to certify fully that the discourses are assigned to the right persons. - Job 22:1 If God intervenes to punish anyone, it is only because justice demands it. Indeed, Job’s situation is so lamentable that Eliphaz believes his fault must be especially grave.
- Job 22:6 According to Eliphaz, Job’s misfortunes are nothing but the punishment for his faults. In chapter 29, Job will deny the type of behavior of which Eliphaz is here accusing him.
- Job 22:6 You have exacted pledges . . . stripped of their clothing: sins that have been condemned by the Prophets (see Am 2:8).
- Job 22:16 An allusion to the flood (Gen 6–8).
- Job 22:20 Fire: moving beyond the allusion to the flood, the speaker expands his horizon to include a description of the destiny in store for all sinners.
- Job 22:22 Job responds to this verse in the next chapter (Job 23:12). Keep his words in your heart: see note on Ps 119:11.
- Job 22:24 Ophir: a section of Arabia, probably on the western coast, from which highly refined gold was imported (see 1 Ki 9:28; 10:11; Ps 45:10).
Job 22
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Can a mortal be of use to God?
Can even the wisest be of service to him?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty[a] if you are righteous,
or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
4 Is it for your piety 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 from your family for no reason,
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 powerful possess the land,
and the favored live in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty-handed,
and the arms of the orphans you have crushed.[b]
10 Therefore snares are around you,
and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11 or darkness so that you cannot see;
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 dome of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the old way
that the wicked have trod?
16 They were snatched away before their time;
their foundation was washed away by a flood.
17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone,’
and ‘What can the Almighty[c] do to us?’[d]
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things—
but the plans of the wicked are repugnant to 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,[e] and be at peace;
in this way 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,[f] you will be restored,
if you remove unrighteousness from your tents,
24 if you treat gold like dust,
and gold of Ophir like the stones of the torrent-bed,
25 and if the Almighty[g] is your gold
and your precious silver,
26 then you will delight yourself in the Almighty,[h]
and lift up your face to God.
27 You will pray 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 When others are humiliated, you say it is pride;
for he saves the humble.
30 He will deliver even those who are guilty;
they will escape because of the cleanness of your hands.”[i]
Footnotes
- Job 22:3 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:9 Gk Syr Tg Vg: Heb were crushed
- Job 22:17 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:17 Gk Syr: Heb them
- Job 22:21 Heb him
- Job 22:23 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:25 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:26 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- Job 22:30 Meaning of Heb uncertain
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1987 by La Liga Biblica