Job 22
1 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?s3 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.s7 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.ss9 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!s13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?s14 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:s17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?s18 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.ss
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.s22 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.s25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.ss26 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.s30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.s
Job 22
Eliphaz Attacks Job—The Third Round
1-11 Come to Terms with God 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."
