Job, 22

¹ And Elʹi·phaz the Teʹman·ite proceeded to answer and say:

² “Can an able-bodied man^*1 be of use to God^*2 himself, That anyone having insight should be of use toward him?

³ Does the Almighty have any delight in that you are righteous, Or any gain in that you make your way blameless?

⁴ For your reverence will he reprove you, Will he come with you into the judgment?

⁵ Is not your own badness too much already, And will there be no end to your errors?

⁶ For you seize a pledge from your brothers without cause, And you strip off even the garments of naked people.

⁷ You do not give the tired one a drink of water, And from the hungry one you hold back bread.

⁸ As for a man^*1 of strength,^*2 the land is his, And one who is treated with partiality himself dwells in it.

⁹ Widows you have sent away empty-handed, And the arms of fatherless boys are crushed.^*1

¹⁰ That is why bird traps are all around you, And sudden dread disturbs you;

¹¹ Or darkness, [so that] you cannot see, And a heaving mass of water itself covers you.

¹² Is not God^*1 the height of heaven? Also see^*2 the sum total of the stars,^*3 that they are high.

¹³ And yet you have said: ‘What does God^*1 really know? Through thick gloom can he judge?

¹⁴ Clouds are a concealment place for him so that he does not see, And on the vault of heaven he walks about.’

¹⁵ Will you keep to the very way of long ago That hurtful men^*1 have trodden,

¹⁶ [Men] who have been snatched away before their time, Whose foundation is poured away just as a river,

¹⁷ Who are saying to the [true] God:^*1 ‘Turn away from us! And what can the Almighty accomplish against us?’^*2

¹⁸ Yet he himself has filled their houses with good things; And the very counsel of wicked ones has kept far from me.

¹⁹ The righteous ones will see and rejoice, And the innocent one himself will hold them in derision:

²⁰ ‘Truly our antagonists^*1 have been effaced; And what is left of them a fire will certainly eat up.’

²¹ Acquaint yourself, please, with him, and keep peace; Thereby good things will come to you.

²² Take, please, the law from his own mouth, And put his sayings in your heart.

²³ If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; [If] you will keep unrighteousness far from your tent,

²⁴ And [if] there is a placing of precious ore in the dust And gold of Oʹphir in the rock of torrent valleys,

²⁵ The Almighty also will indeed become your precious ores, And silver, the choicest, to you.

²⁶ For then in the Almighty you will find your exquisite delight, And you will raise your face to God^*1 himself.

²⁷ You will make entreaty to him, and he will hear you; And your vows you will pay.

²⁸ And you will decide on something, and it will stand for you; And upon your ways light will certainly shine.

²⁹ For there must be a humiliation when you speak arrogantly; But one with downcast eyes he will save.

³⁰ He will rescue an innocent man,^*1 And you will certainly be rescued for the cleanness of your hands.”^*2