1 Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Can a vigorous man be of use to God,Or a wise man be useful to himself?
3 Is it any pleasureorjoy toHeb Shaddai, also vv 17, 23, 25, 26.the Almighty that you are righteous?Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect?
4 Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,That He enters into judgment against you?
5 Is not your wickedness great,And your sins without end?
6 For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,And stripped men naked.
7 You have not given water to the weary to drink,And you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 But the land is possessed by the man with power,And the favoredandhonorable man dwells in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty-handed,And the arms (strength) of the fatherless have been broken.
11 Or darkness, so that you cannot see,And a flood of water covers you.
12 “Is not God in the height of heaven?And behold the distant stars, how high they are!
13 You say, ‘What does God know [about me]?Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see,And He walks on the vault (circle) of the heavens.’
15 Will you keep to the ancient pathThat wicked men walked [in the time of Noah],
16 Men who were snatched away before their time,Whose foundations were poured out like a river?
17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us!What can the Almighty do for usorto us?’
18 Yet He filled their houses with goodthings;But the counsel of the wickedandungodly is far from me.
19 The righteous see it and are glad;And the innocent mockandlaugh at them,saying,
20 ‘Surely our adversaries are cut offanddestroyed,And fire has consumed their abundance.’
21 “Now yieldandsubmit yourself to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace;In this way [you will prosper and great] good will come to you.
22 Please receive the lawandinstruction from His mouthAnd establish His words in your heartandkeep them.
23 If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up [and restored];Ifyou remove unrighteousness far from your tents,
24 And place your gold in the dust,Andthe gold ofOphir among the stones of the brooks [considering it of little value],
25 And make the Almighty your goldAnd your precious silver,
26 Then you will have delight in the Almighty,And you will lift up your face to God.
27 You will pray to Him, and He will hear you,And you will pay your vows.
28 You will also decideanddecree a thing, and it will be established for you;And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.
29 When you are cast downandhumbled, you will speak with confidence,And the humble person He will lift upandsave.
30 He will even rescue the one [for whom you intercede] who is not innocent;And he will be rescued through the cleanness of your hands.”