Job 22
Lexham English Bible
Eliphaz’s Third Speech
22 Then[a] Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Can a man be of use to God?
Yes, can the wise be of use to him?
3 Is it a pleasure to Shaddai if you are righteous,
or[b] a gain if you make your ways blameless?
4 Does he reprove you because of your reverence
or enter into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great,
and there is no end to your iniquities?
6 “Indeed, you have required a pledge from your family for nothing,
and you have stripped off the clothes of the naked.
7 You have given no water for the weary to drink,
and you withheld food from the hungry.
8 And the land belongs to the man of power,[c]
and the favored[d] lives in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty-handed,
and the arms of orphans were crushed.
10 Therefore trapping nets are all around you,
and panic suddenly terrifies you,
11 or it is so dark you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.
12 “Is not God in the height of the heavens?
But[e] see how lofty are the highest stars.[f]
13 And you ask, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge through deep gloom?
14 Thick clouds are a covering for him, so that he does not see;
and he walks about on the dome of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the way of old
that the people of mischief have trod,
16 who were snatched away before their time,[g]
whose foundation was washed away by a current?
17 Those who said to God, ‘Turn away from us,’
and ‘What can Shaddai do to us?’
18 Yet[h] he himself[i] filled up their houses with good things,
but[j] the schemes of the wicked are repugnant to me.
19 The righteous see, and they rejoice,
but[k] the innocent one mocks at them.
20 Surely[l] our foe perishes,
and fire has consumed their remainder.[m]
21 “Please reconcile yourself with him,
and be at peace; in this way,[n] good will come to you.
22 Please receive instruction from his mouth,
and place his words in your heart.
23 If you return to Shaddai, you will be restored;
if you remove wickedness from your tent,
24 and if you put gold ore in the dust,
and the gold of Ophir in the rock of wadis,
25 then[o] Shaddai will be your gold ore
and your precious silver.[p]
26 Indeed, then you will delight yourself in Shaddai,
and you will expect that God will be good to you.[q]
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
28 And you will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 When they are humiliated, you say,[r] ‘It is pride,’
for[s] he saves the humble.[t]
30 He will deliver the guilty,
and he will escape because of the cleanness of your hands.”
Footnotes
- Job 22:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 22:3 Hebrew “and”
- Job 22:8 Literally “man of power for him”
- Job 22:8 Literally “lifted up of face”
- Job 22:12 Hebrew “And”
- Job 22:12 Literally “top of stars,” or “head of stars”
- Job 22:16 Literally “and not time”
- Job 22:18 Hebrew “And”
- Job 22:18 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 22:18 Hebrew “and”
- Job 22:19 Hebrew “and”
- Job 22:20 Literally “If not”
- Job 22:20 Or “their wealth”
- Job 22:21 Literally “by them”
- Job 22:25 Hebrew “And”
- Job 22:25 Literally “silver of the best for you,” or “silver of the best belonging to you”
- Job 22:26 Literally “you will lift up to God your face”
- Job 22:29 Literally “and you say,” or “then you say”
- Job 22:29 Hebrew “and”
- Job 22:29 Literally “downward of eyes”
Job 22
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
IV. Third Cycle of Speeches[a]
Chapter 22
Eliphaz’s Third Speech. 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 Can a man be profitable to God?(A)
Can a wise man be profitable to him?
3 Does it please the Almighty that you are just?(B)
Does he gain if your ways are perfect?[b]
4 Is it because of your piety that he reproves you—
that he enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great,
your iniquity endless?
6 You keep your relatives’ goods in pledge unjustly,[c]
leave them stripped naked of their clothing.(C)
7 To the thirsty you give no water to drink,
and from the hungry you withhold bread;
8 As if the land belonged to the powerful,
and only the privileged could dwell in it!
9 You sent widows away empty-handed,
and the resources of orphans are destroyed.(D)
10 Therefore snares are round about you,(E)
sudden terror makes you panic,
11 Or darkness—you cannot see!
A deluge of waters covers you.
12 Does not God, in the heights of the heavens,(F)
behold the top of the stars, high though they are?
13 Yet you say, “What does God know?(G)
Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Clouds hide him so that he cannot see
as he walks around the circuit of the heavens!”
15 Do you indeed keep to the ancient way
trodden by the worthless?
16 They were snatched before their time;
their foundations a river swept away.
17 They said to God, “Let us alone!”
and, “What can the Almighty do to us?”
18 Yet he had filled their houses with good things.
The designs of the wicked are far from me
19 The just look on and are glad,
and the innocent deride them:[e](I)
20 “Truly our enemies are destroyed,
and what was left to them, fire has consumed!”
21 Settle with him and have peace.
That way good shall come to you:
22 Receive instruction from his mouth,
and place his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
if you put iniquity far from your tent,
24 And treat raw gold as dust,
the fine gold of Ophir[f] as pebbles in the wadi,
25 Then the Almighty himself shall be your gold
and your sparkling silver.
26 For then you shall delight in the Almighty,
you shall lift up your face toward God.
27 Entreat him and he will hear you,(J)
and your vows you shall fulfill.
28 What you decide shall succeed for you,
and upon your ways light shall shine.
29 For when they are brought low, you will say, “It is pride!”
But downcast eyes he saves.(K)
30 He will deliver whoever is innocent;
you shall be delivered if your hands are clean.(L)
Footnotes
- 22:1–27:23 The traditional three cycles of speeches breaks down in chaps. 22–27, because Zophar does not appear. This may be interpreted as a sign that the three friends see no point in further dialogue, or that Job’s replies have reduced them to silence, or that there has been a mistake in the transmission of the text (hence various transferrals of verses have been proposed to include Zophar, but without any textual evidence).
- 22:3 Another irony: God will “gain,” because he will have been proved right in his claim to the satan that Job is “perfect.”
- 22:6–9 This criticism of Job by Eliphaz is untrue (cf. 31:19), but he is driven to it by his belief that God always acts justly, even when he causes someone to suffer; suffering is due to wrongdoing (cf. v. 29).
- 22:18 The second part of the verse repeats 21:16.
- 22:19 Them: the wicked. Eliphaz obviously thinks that the just can be pleased by God’s punishment of the wicked. Such pleasure at the downfall of the wicked is expressed elsewhere, e.g., Ps 58:11; 63:12.
- 22:24 Ophir: see note on Ps 45:10.
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.”
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Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
