Job 22:1-30 LSB

[1] Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, [2] “Can a mighty man be of use to God, Or an insightful man be useful to himself? [3] “Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or profit if you make your ways perfect? [4] “Is it because of your reverent fear that He reproves you, That He enters into judgment against you? [5] “Is not your evil great, And your iniquities without end? [6] “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause, And stripped the clothing of the naked. [7] “To the weary you have given no water to drink, And from the hungry you have withheld bread. [8] “But the earth belongs to the mighty man, And the highly respected man inhabits it. [9] “You have sent widows away empty, And the might of the orphans has been crushed. [10] “Therefore snares surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you, [11] Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And an abundance of water covers you. [12] “Is not God in the height of heaven? Look also at the distant stars, how high they are! [13] “You say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the dense gloom? [14] ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see; And He walks on the vault of heaven.’ [15] “Will you keep to the ancient path Which wicked men have trod, [16] Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundations were washed away by a river? [17] “They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’ And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’ [18] “Yet He filled their houses with good things, But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. [19] “The righteous see and are glad, And the innocent mock them, [20] Saying, ‘Truly those who rise against us are wiped out, And their abundance the fire has consumed.’ [21] “Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you. [22] “Please receive instruction from His mouth And set His words in your heart. [23] “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent, [24] And put your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks, [25] Then the Almighty will be your gold And choice silver to you. [26] “For then you will delight in the Almighty And lift up your face to God. [27] “You will entreat Him, and He will hear you; And you will pay your vows. [28] “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways. [29] “When some are cast down, you will speak with confidence, And the humble person He will save. [30] “He will provide escape for one who is not innocent, And he will escape through the cleanness of your hands.”