Job 22
1599 Geneva Bible
22 2 Eliphaz affirmeth that Job is punished for his sins. 6 He accuseth him of unmercifulness. 13 And that he denied God’s providence. 21 He exhorteth to repentance.
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and said,
2 May a man be [a]profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable to himself?
3 (A)Is it anything unto the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it profitable to him, that thou makest thy ways upright?
4 Is it for fear [b]of thee that he will accuse thee? or go with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness great, and thine iniquities innumerable?
6 For thou hast taken the [c]pledge from thy brother for nought, and spoiled the clothes of the naked.
7 To such as were weary, thou hast not given water to drink, and hast withdrawn bread from the hungry.
8 But the mighty man [d]had the earth, and he that was in authority, dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast cast out widows empty, and the arms of the [e]fatherless were broken.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and fear shall suddenly trouble thee.
11 Or darkness that thou shouldest not see, and [f]abundance of waters shall cover thee.
12 Is not God on [g]high in the heaven? and behold the height of the [h]stars how high they are.
13 But thou sayest, How should God [i]know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14 The clouds hide him that he cannot see, and he walketh in the circle of heaven.
15 Hast thou marked the way of the world, [j]wherein wicked men have walked?
16 Which were [k]cut down before the time, whose foundation was as a river that overflowed:
17 Which said unto God, Depart from us, and asked what the Almighty could do for them.
18 Yet he [l]filled their houses with good things: but let the counsel of the wicked be far from me.
19 The righteous shall see them, and shall rejoice, [m]and the innocent shall laugh them to scorn.
20 Surely [n]our substance is hid: but the fire hath devoured the remnant of [o]them.
21 Therefore acquaint thyself, I pray thee, [p]with him, and make peace: thereby thou shalt have prosperity.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law of his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt [q]be built up, and thou shalt put iniquity far from thy tabernacle.
24 Thou shalt lay up gold for [r]dust, and the gold of Ophir, as the flints of the rivers.
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
26 And thou shalt then delight in the Almighty, and lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt render thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and he shall establish it unto thee, and the [s]light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 [t]When others are cast down, then shalt thou say, I am lifted up: and God shall save the humble person.
30 The innocent shall deliver the [u]island, and it shall be preserved by the pureness of thine hands.
Footnotes
- Job 22:2 Though man were just, yet God could have no profit of this his justice: and therefore when he punished him, he hath no regard to his justice, but to his sin.
- Job 22:4 Lest thou shouldest reprove or hurt him?
- Job 22:6 Thou hast been cruel and without charity, and wouldest do nothing for the poor, but for thine own advantage.
- Job 22:8 When thou wast in power and authority, thou didst not justice but wrong.
- Job 22:9 Thou hast not only not showed pity, but oppressed them.
- Job 22:11 That is, manifold afflictions.
- Job 22:12 He accuseth Job of impiety and contempt of God, as though he would say, If thou pass not for men, yet consider the height of God’s majesty.
- Job 22:12 That so much the more by that excellent work thou mayest fear God, and reverence him.
- Job 22:13 He reproveth Job, as though he denied God’s providence and that he could not see the things that were done in this world.
- Job 22:15 How God hath punished them from the beginning?
- Job 22:16 He proveth God’s providence by the punishment of the wicked, whom he taketh away before they can bring their wicked purposes to pass.
- Job 22:18 He answereth to that which Job had said, Job 21:7, that the wicked have prosperity in this world: desiring that he might not be partaker of the like.
- Job 22:19 The just rejoice at the destruction of the wicked for two causes: first, because God showeth himself judge of the world and by this means continueth his honor and glory: secondly, because God showeth that he hath care over his in that he punished their enemies.
- Job 22:20 That is, the state and preservation of the godly, is hid under God’s wings.
- Job 22:20 Meaning, of the wicked.
- Job 22:21 He exhorteth Job to repentance, and to return to God.
- Job 22:23 God will restore unto thee all thy substance.
- Job 22:24 Which shall be in abundance like dust.
- Job 22:28 That is, the favor of God.
- Job 22:29 God will deliver his when the wicked are destroyed round about them, as in the flood and in Sodom.
- Job 22:30 God will deliver a whole country from peril, even for the just man’s sake.
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.”
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
