1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and sayde, 2 May a man be profitable vnto God, as he that is wise, may be profitable to himselfe? 3 Is it any thing vnto the Almightie, that thou art righteous? or is it profitable to him, that thou makest thy wayes vpright? 4 Is it for feare of thee that he will accuse thee? or go with thee into iudgement? 5 Is not thy wickednes great, and thine iniquities innumerable? 6 For thou hast taken the pledge from thy brother for nought, and spoyled the clothes of the naked. 7 To such as were wearie, thou hast not giuen water to drinke, and hast withdrawen bread from the hungrie. 8 But the mightie man had the earth, and he that was in autoritie, dwelt in it. 9 Thou hast cast out widowes emptie, and the armes of the fatherles were broken. 10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and feare shall suddenly trouble thee: 11 Or darkenes that thou shouldest not see, and abundance of waters shall couer thee. 12 Is not God on hie in the heauen? and behold the height of the starres how hie they are. 13 But thou sayest, How should God know? can he iudge through the darke cloude? 14 The cloudes hide him that he can not see, and he walketh in the circle of heauen. 15 Hast thou marked the way of the worlde, wherein wicked men haue walked? 16 Which were cut downe before the time, whose foundation was as a riuer that ouerflowed: 17 Which sayd vnto God, Depart from vs, and asked what the Almightie could do for them. 18 Yet hee filled their houses with good things: but let the counsell of the wicked be farre from me. 19 The righteous shall see them, and shall reioyce, and the innocent shall laugh them to scorne. 20 Surely our substance is hid: but the fire hath deuoured the remnant of them. 21 Therefore acquaint thy selfe, I pray thee, with him, and make peace: thereby thou shalt haue prosperitie. 22 Receiue, I pray thee, the law of his mouth, and lay vp his words in thine heart. 23 If thou returne to the Almightie, thou shalt be buylt vp, and thou shalt put iniquitie farre from thy tabernacle. 24 Thou shalt lay vp golde for dust, and the gold of Ophir, as the flintes of the riuers. 25 Yea, the Almightie shalbe thy defence, and thou shalt haue plentie of siluer. 26 And thou shalt then delite in the Almightie, and lift vp thy face vnto God. 27 Thou shalt make thy praier vnto him, and he shall heare thee, and thou shalt render thy vowes. 28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and he shall establish it vnto thee, and the light shall shine vpon thy wayes. 29 When others are cast downe, then shalt thou say, I am lifted vp: and God shall saue the humble person. 30 The innocent shall deliuer the yland, and it shalbe preserued by the purenes of thine hands.
The Third Dialogue
(22.1—27.23)Eliphaz
1-2 Is there anyone, even the wisest,
who could ever be of use to God?
3 Does your doing right benefit God,
or does your being good help him at all?
4 It is not because you stand in awe of God
that he reprimands you and brings you to trial.
5 No, it's because you have sinned so much;
it's because of all the evil you do.
6 To make a brother repay you the money he owed,
you took away his clothes and left him nothing to wear.
7 You refused water to those who were tired,
and refused to feed those who were hungry.
8 You used your power and your position
to take over the whole land.
9 You not only refused to help widows,
but you also robbed and mistreated orphans.
10 So now there are pitfalls all around you,
and suddenly you are full of fear.
11 It has grown so dark that you cannot see,
and a flood overwhelms you.
12 Doesn't God live in the highest heavens
and look down on the stars, even though they are high?
13 And yet you ask, “What does God know?
He is hidden by clouds—how can he judge us?”
14 You think the thick clouds keep him from seeing,
as he walks on the dome of the sky.
15 Are you determined to walk in the paths
that evil people have always followed?
16 Even before their time had come,
they were washed away by a flood.
17 These are the ones who rejected God
and believed that he could do nothing to them.
18 And yet it was God who made them prosperous—
I can't understand the thoughts of the wicked.
19 Good people are glad and the innocent laugh
when they see the wicked punished.
20 All that the wicked own is destroyed,
and fire burns up anything that is left.
21 Now, Job, make peace with God
and stop treating him like an enemy;
if you do, then he will bless you.
22 Accept the teaching he gives;
keep his words in your heart.
23 Yes, you must humbly return to God
and put an end to all the evil
that is done in your house.
24 Throw away your gold;
dump your finest gold in the dry stream bed.
25 Let Almighty God be your gold,
and let him be silver, piled high for you.
26 Then you will always trust in God
and find that he is the source of your joy.
27 When you pray, he will answer you,
and you will keep the vows you made.
28 You will succeed in all you do,
and light will shine on your path.
29 God brings down the proud
and saves the humble.
30 He will rescue you if you are innocent,
if what you do is right.