22:1  Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

22:2  “Can a man be profitable to God,
Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?

22:3  Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?

22:4  “Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
And enters into judgment with you?

22:5  Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquity without end?

22:6  For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason,
And stripped the naked of their clothing.

22:7  You have not given the weary water to drink,
And you have withheld bread from the hungry.

22:8  But the mighty man possessed the land,
And the honorable man dwelt in it.

22:9  You have sent widows away empty,
And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.

22:10  Therefore snares are all around you,
And sudden fear troubles you,

22:11  Or darkness so that you cannot see;
And an abundance of water covers you.

22:12  “Is not God in the height of heaven?
And see the highest stars, how lofty they are!

22:13  And you say, ‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the deep darkness?

22:14  Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see,
And He walks above the circle of heaven.’

22:15  Will you keep to the old way
Which wicked men have trod,

22:16  Who were cut down before their time,
Whose foundations were swept away by a flood?

22:17  They said to God, ‘Depart from us!
What can the Almighty do to them?’

22:18  Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

22:19  “The righteous see it and are glad,
And the innocent laugh at them:

22:20  ‘Surely our adversaries are cut down,
And the fire consumes their remnant.’

22:21  “Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace;
Thereby good will come to you.

22:22  Receive, please, instruction from His mouth,
And lay up His words in your heart.

22:23  If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;
You will remove iniquity far from your tents.

22:24  Then you will lay your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.

22:25  Yes, the Almighty will be your gold
And your precious silver;

22:26  For then you will have your delight in the Almighty,
And lift up your face to God.

22:27  You will make your prayer to Him,
He will hear you,
And you will pay your vows.

22:28  You will also declare a thing,
And it will be established for you;
So light will shine on your ways.

22:29  When they cast you down, and you say, 'Exaltation will come!'
Then He will save the humble person.

22:30  He will even deliver one who is not innocent;
Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.”