Job 22
Evangelical Heritage Version
Round Three: Eliphaz’s Speech
22 Eliphaz the Temanite responded:
2 Can a man benefit God?
Can even a wise man be of any use to him?
3 Should the Almighty be delighted if you are righteous?
Does he gain any advantage if your ways are blameless?
4 Is it because of your reverence that he rebukes you
and comes against you in judgment?
5 Isn’t your wickedness great?
Isn’t your guilt endless?
6 You have seized collateral from your brothers without cause,
and you have stripped off clothing from the naked.
7 You have not given water to the weary,
and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 The earth belongs to a forceful man,
and a well-respected man dwells in it.[a]
9 You send widows away empty-handed.
You crush the arms of the fatherless.
10 That is why snares are all around you,
and sudden fear overwhelms you.
11 That is why you cannot see in the darkness,
and floodwaters cover you.
12 Is not God in the heights of heaven?
Look at[b] the highest stars, so high above!
13 But you say, “What does God know?
Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Dark clouds are a veil around him,
so he does not see us
as he walks back and forth in heaven’s dome.”
15 Are you the guardian of the ancient way,
the one traveled by wicked men?
16 They were snatched away before their time.[c]
Their foundation was washed away by a river.
17 They said to God, “Keep away from us,”
and “What can the Almighty do to us?”[d]
18 even though he had filled their houses with good.
That is why the way of life of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see this and are glad.
The innocent mock them, saying,
20 “Surely our adversaries have been erased!
Fire has eaten up their abundance.”
21 Be reconciled with God.
Be at peace with him.
Then good will come to you.
22 Accept teaching from his mouth,
and set his words in your heart.
23 If you turn to the Almighty, you will be built up.
If you want to put injustice far from your tent,
24 throw your purest gold[e] into the dust
and your gold from Ophir upon the rocks in the ravines.
25 Then the Almighty will be your purest gold
and your most precious silver.
26 Then you will find pleasure in the Almighty,
and you will lift up your face to God.
27 You will pray to God, and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be done for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 When people are brought low,
and you say, “Lift them up,”
God will save the downcast.
30 He will deliver even the person who is not innocent,
who will escape by the purity of your hands.
Footnotes
- Job 22:8 The connection of this verse to the context is unclear. It may be an excuse that greedy rich people use for not helping the poor or an indirect accusation of Job.
- Job 22:12 Or he sees
- Job 22:16 Or with no time to get away
- Job 22:17 The reading us follows the ancient versions. The Hebrew reads them.
- Job 22:24 Or gold nuggets
Job 22
King James Version
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
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: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
20 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
Job 22
English Standard Version
Eliphaz Speaks: Job's Wickedness Is Great
22 Then (A)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 (B)“Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
or is it gain to him if you (C)make your ways blameless?
4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
and (D)enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your evil abundant?
There is no end to your iniquities.
6 For you have (E)exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
(F)and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You have given no water to the weary to drink,
and you have (G)withheld bread from the hungry.
8 (H)The man with power possessed the land,
and (I)the favored man lived in it.
9 You have (J)sent widows away empty,
and (K)the arms of (L)the fatherless were crushed.
10 Therefore (M)snares are all around you,
and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11 or (N)darkness, so that you cannot see,
and a (O)flood of (P)water covers you.
12 “Is not God high in the heavens?
See (Q)the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13 But you say, (R)‘What does God know?
Can he judge through (S)the deep darkness?
14 (T)Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the old way
that wicked men have trod?
16 They were snatched away (U)before their time;
their foundation was washed away.[a]
17 They said to God, (V)‘Depart from us,’
and (W)‘What can the Almighty do to us?’[b]
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things—
but (X)the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 (Y)The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent one (Z)mocks at them,
20 saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
and what they left (AA)the fire has consumed.’
21 (AB)“Agree with God, and (AC)be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from (AD)his mouth,
and (AE)lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you (AF)return to the Almighty you will be (AG)built up;
if you (AH)remove injustice far from your tents,
24 if you lay gold in (AI)the dust,
and gold of (AJ)Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
26 For then you (AK)will delight yourself in the Almighty
and (AL)lift up your face to God.
27 You will (AM)make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you will (AN)pay your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and (AO)light will shine on your ways.
29 For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;[c]
but he saves (AP)the lowly.
30 He (AQ)delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through (AR)the cleanness of your hands.”
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
