Job 22
World English Bible
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2 “Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or does it benefit him that you make your ways perfect?
4 Is it for your piety that he reproves you,
that he enters with you into judgment?
5 Isn’t your wickedness great?
Neither is there any end to your iniquities.
6 For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing,
and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You haven’t given water to the weary to drink,
and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth.
The honorable man, he lived in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty,
and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are around you.
Sudden fear troubles you,
11 or darkness, so that you can not see,
and floods of waters cover you.
12 “Isn’t God in the heights of heaven?
See the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 You say, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn’t see.
He walks on the vault of the sky.’
15 Will you keep the old way,
which wicked men have trodden,
16 who were snatched away before their time,
whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
17 who said to God, ‘Depart from us!’
and, ‘What can the Almighty do for us?’
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things,
but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad.
The innocent ridicule them,
20 saying, ‘Surely those who rose up against us are cut off.
The fire has consumed their remnant.’
21 “Acquaint yourself with him now, and be at peace.
By it, good will come to you.
22 Please receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up,
if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.
24 Lay your treasure in the dust,
the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
25 The Almighty will be your treasure,
and precious silver to you.
26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty,
and will lift up your face to God.
27 You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you.
You will pay your vows.
28 You will also decree a thing, and it will be established to you.
Light will shine on your ways.
29 When they cast down, you will say, ‘be lifted up.’
He will save the humble person.
30 He will even deliver him who is not innocent.
Yes, he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
Job 22
New Century Version
Eliphaz Answers
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Can anyone be of real use to God?
Can even a wise person do him good?
3 Does it help the Almighty for you to be good?
Does he gain anything if you are innocent?
4 Does God punish you for respecting him?
Does he 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 for 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 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 empty-handed,
and you mistreated orphans.
10 That is why traps are all around you
and sudden danger frightens you.
11 That is why it is so dark you cannot see
and 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 ask, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge us through the dark clouds?
14 Thick clouds cover him so he cannot see us
as 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,
and their foundations were washed away by a flood.
17 They said to God, ‘Leave us alone!
The Almighty can do nothing to us.’
18 But it was God who filled their houses with good things.
Their way of thinking is different from mine.
19 “Good people can watch and be glad;
the innocent can laugh at them and say,
20 ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed,
and fire burns up their wealth.’
21 “Obey God and be at peace with him;
this is the way to happiness.
22 Accept teaching from his mouth,
and keep his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be blessed again.
So remove evil from your house.
24 Throw your gold nuggets into the dust
and your fine gold among the rocks in the ravines.
25 Then the Almighty will be your gold
and the best silver for you.
26 You will find pleasure in the Almighty,
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 people are made humble and you say, ‘Have courage,’
then the humble will be saved.
30 Even a guilty person will escape
and be saved because your hands are clean.”
by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
