Job 22
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Third Series of Speeches
Eliphaz Speaks
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 Can a man be of any use to God?
Can even a wise man be of use to Him?
3 Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous?
Does He profit if you perfect your behavior?(A)
4 Does He correct you and take you to court
because of your piety?(B)
5 Isn’t your wickedness abundant
and aren’t your iniquities endless?
6 For you took collateral(C) from your brothers without cause,
stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked.
7 You gave no water to the thirsty
and withheld food from the famished,(D)
8 while the land belonged to a powerful man
and an influential man lived on it.
9 You sent widows away empty-handed,
and the strength of the fatherless(E) was[a] crushed.
10 Therefore snares surround you,
and sudden dread terrifies(F) you,
11 or darkness, so you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.(G)
12 Isn’t God as high as the heavens?
And look at the highest stars—how lofty they are!
13 Yet you say: “What does God know?
Can He judge through thick darkness?(H)
14 Clouds(I) veil Him so that He cannot see,
as He walks on the circle of the sky.”
15 Will you continue on the ancient path
that wicked men have walked?
16 They were snatched away before their time,
and their foundations(J) were washed away by a river.
17 They were the ones who said to God, “Leave us alone!”
and “What can the Almighty do to us?”[b](K)
18 But it was He who filled their houses with good things.
The counsel of the wicked is far from me!
19 The righteous see this and rejoice;
the innocent mock them, saying,(L)
20 “Surely our opponents are destroyed,
and fire has consumed what they left behind.”(M)
21 Come to terms with God and be at peace;(N)
in this way[c] good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from His mouth,(O)
and place His sayings(P) in your heart.
23 If you return(Q) to the Almighty, you will be renewed.
If you banish injustice from your tent
24 and consign your gold to the dust,
the gold of Ophir(R) to the stones in the wadis,
25 the Almighty will be your gold
and your finest silver.
26 Then you will delight(S) in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.(T)
27 You will pray to Him, and He will hear you,(U)
and you will fulfill your vows.
28 When you make a decision, it will be carried out,[d]
and light will shine on your ways.(V)
29 When others are humiliated and you say, “Lift them up,”
God will save the humble.[e](W)
30 He will even rescue the guilty one,
who will be rescued by the purity of your hands.(X)
Job 22
International Children’s Bible
Eliphaz Answers
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “A man cannot be of any real use to God.
Even a wise man does him no good.
3 It does not help God All-Powerful for you to be good.
He gains nothing if you are innocent.
4 God does not punish you for respecting him.
He does not bring you into court for this.
5 No! It is because your evil is without limits.
And your sins have no end.
6 You took your brothers’ things to pay a debt they didn’t owe.
You took clothes from people and left them naked.
7 You did not give water to tired people.
And you kept food away from the hungry.
8 You were a powerful man who owned land.
You were honored and lived in the land.
9 But you sent widows away without giving them anything.
You even mistreated orphans.
10 That is why traps are all around you.
That is why sudden danger frightens you.
11 That is why it is so dark you cannot see.
And that is why a flood of water covers you.
12 “God is in the highest part of heaven.
See how high the highest stars are!
13 But you say, ‘God knows nothing.
He cannot judge us through the dark clouds.
14 Thick clouds cover him so he cannot see us.
He walks around high up in the sky.’
15 Are you going to stay on the old path
where evil people walk?
16 They were carried away before their time was up.
Their foundations were washed away by a flood.
17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
God All-Powerful can do nothing to us.’
18 But it was God who filled their houses with good things.
He did this even though their way of thinking was not godly.
19 “Good people can watch and be glad.
Innocent people can laugh at them and say,
20 ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed.
And fire burns up their wealth.’
21 “Obey God, and then you will be at peace with him.
This way you can be happy.
22 Accept teaching from his mouth.
Keep his words in your heart.
23 If you return to God All-Powerful, you will be blessed again.
Remove evil from your house.
24 Throw your gold nuggets into the dust.
Throw your fine gold to the rocks in the ravines.
25 Then God All-Powerful will be your gold.
He will be the best silver for you.
26 You will find pleasure in God All-Powerful.
And you will look up to him.
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you.
And you will keep your promises to him.
28 Anything you decide will be done.
And light will shine on your ways.
29 When terrible things happen to people, you will say, ‘Have courage.’
Then those who are humble will be saved.
30 Even the guilty will escape.
They will be saved because your hands are clean.”
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
