Job 22
The Message
Eliphaz Attacks Job—The Third Round
Come to Terms with God
22 1-11 Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme:
“Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand,
or smart enough to give him advice?
So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice?
Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think
he’d applaud?
Do you think it’s because he cares about your purity
that he’s disciplining you, putting you on the spot?
Hardly! It’s because you’re a first-class moral failure,
because there’s no end to your sins.
When people came to you for help,
you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness.
You wouldn’t so much as give a drink to the thirsty,
or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry.
And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone,
surrounded by immense wealth!
You turned poor widows away from your door;
heartless, you crushed orphans.
Now you’re the one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear.
Suddenly the tables have turned!
How do you like living in the dark, sightless,
up to your neck in flood waters?
12-14 “You agree, don’t you, that God is in charge?
He runs the universe—just look at the stars!
Yet you dare raise questions: ‘What does God know?
From that distance and darkness, how can he judge?
He roams the heavens wrapped in clouds,
so how can he see us?’
15-18 “Are you going to persist in that tired old line
that wicked men and women have always used?
Where did it get them? They died young,
flash floods sweeping them off to their doom.
They told God, ‘Get lost!
What good is God Almighty to us?’
And yet it was God who gave them everything they had.
It’s beyond me how they can carry on like this!
19-20 “Good people see bad people crash, and call for a celebration.
Relieved, they crow,
‘At last! Our enemies—wiped out.
Everything they had and stood for is up in smoke!’
21-25 “Give in to God, come to terms with him
and everything will turn out just fine.
Let him tell you what to do;
take his words to heart.
Come back to God Almighty
and he’ll rebuild your life.
Clean house of everything evil.
Relax your grip on your money
and abandon your gold-plated luxury.
God Almighty will be your treasure,
more wealth than you can imagine.
26-30 “You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One,
and look to him joyfully, boldly.
You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen;
he’ll help you do what you’ve promised.
You’ll decide what you want and it will happen;
your life will be bathed in light.
To those who feel low you’ll say, ‘Chin up! Be brave!’
and God will save them.
Yes, even the guilty will escape,
escape through God’s grace in your life.”
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.”
约伯记 22
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
以利法第三次发言
22 提幔人以利法回答说：
2 “人对 神能有甚么益处呢？
明智的人只能益己。
3 你为人公义可讨全能者喜悦吗？
你行为完全可有利于他呢？
4 他是因你敬畏他而责备你，
对你施行审判吗？
5 你的罪恶不是很大吗？
你的罪孽不是没有穷尽吗？
6 你无缘无故强取兄弟的东西作当头，
剥去衣不蔽体的人的衣服。
7 疲乏的人你没有给他水喝，
饥饿的人你没有给他饭吃。
8 有势力的人就有土地，
尊贵的人住在其中。
9 你叫寡妇空手而去，你折断孤儿的膀臂。
10 因此有网罗环绕着你，
恐惧也忽然使你惊慌。
11 光明变成黑暗，以致你看不见，
并且洪水淹没你。
12 神不是高于诸天吗？
你看看最高的星星，多么的高啊！
13 你说：‘ 神知道甚么？
他能透过幽暗施行审判吗？
14 密云把他遮盖，使他不能看见我们；
他在天上的圆圈上面走来走去。’
15 你要谨守古往的道，
就是恶人所行走的吗？
16 他们未到时候，就被抓去，
他们的根基被洪水冲去。
17 他们对 神说：‘离开我们吧！
全能者能把我们怎么样呢？’
18 他用美物充满他们的房屋，
恶人的谋算远离我。
19 义人看见了，就欢喜；
无辜的人嘲笑他们，说：
20 ‘我们的对头必被剪除，
他们剥下来的有火吞灭了。’
劝约伯悔改，远离不义
21 你与 神和好，就可以得平安，
这样，福乐就必临到你。
22 你该从他口中领受训诲，
把他的话放在心里。
23 你若归向全能者，就必得建立；
你若使不义远离你的帐棚，
24 把你的金块丢在尘土中，
把俄斐的金块丢在河流的石头间，
25 全能者就必作你的金块，
作你的银堆，
26 你就必以全能者为乐，
向 神仰起脸来。
27 你向他祈求，他就垂听你，
你也要还你的愿。
28 你决定的计划，他必为你成全，
光明必照在你的路上。
29 人谦卑的时候，你就说：‘升高吧！’
眼中谦卑的他必拯救，
30 并非无辜的人， 神尚且搭救他；
他要因你手中的洁净得救拔。”
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.