Read the Bible

Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job

¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

² "Can a vigorous ^(C1)man be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself? ^(VR1)

³ "Is it any pleasure or joy to ^(F1)the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect? ^(VR1)

⁴ "Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
That He ^(C1)enters into judgment against you?

⁵ "Is not ^(C1)your wickedness great,
And your sins without end?

⁶ "For you have ^(C1)taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And ^(C2)stripped men naked.

⁷ "You have ^(C1)not given water to the weary to drink,
And you have ^(C2)withheld bread from the hungry. ^(VR1)

⁸ "But the ^(C1)land is possessed by the ^(C2)man with power,
And ^(C3)the favored and honorable man dwells in it.

⁹ "You have sent ^(C1)widows away empty-handed,
And the arms (strength) of the ^(C2)fatherless have been broken.

¹⁰ "Therefore ^(C1)snares surround you,
And sudden ^(C2)dread terrifies and overwhelms you;

¹¹ Or ^(C1)darkness, so that you cannot see,
And a ^(C2)flood of water covers you.

¹² "Is not God ^(C1)in the height of heaven?
And behold the distant stars, how high they are!

¹³ "You say, '^(C1)What does God know about me?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?

¹⁴ 'Thick ^(C1)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 path
That ^(C1)wicked men walked in the time of Noah, ^(VR1)

¹⁶ Men who were snatched away ^(C1)before their time,
Whose ^(C2)foundations were poured out like a river?

¹⁷ "They ^(C1)said to God, 'Depart from us!
What can the Almighty do for us or to us?'

¹⁸ "Yet He ^(C1)filled their houses with good things;
But ^(C2)the counsel of the wicked and ungodly is far from me.

¹⁹ "The ^(C1)righteous see it and are glad;
And the innocent mock and laugh at them, saying,

²⁰ 'Surely our adversaries are cut off and destroyed,
And ^(C1)fire has consumed their abundance.'

²¹ "^(C1)Now yield and submit 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 law and ^(C1)instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart and keep them. ^(VR1)

²³ "If you ^(C1)return to the Almighty and submit and humble yourself before Him, you will be built up and restored;
If you ^(C2)remove unrighteousness far from your tents,

²⁴ And place your ^(C1)gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks considering it of little value,

²⁵ And make the Almighty your gold
And your precious silver,

²⁶ Then you will have ^(C1)delight in the Almighty,
And you will lift up your face to God.

²⁷ "You will ^(C1)pray to Him, and ^(C2)He will hear you,
And you will pay your vows.

²⁸ "You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And the ^(C1)light of God's favor will shine upon your ways.

²⁹ "When you are cast down and humbled, you will speak with confidence,
And the ^(C1)humble person He will lift up and save.

³⁰ "He will even rescue the one for whom you intercede who is not innocent;
And he will be ^(C1)rescued through the cleanness of your hands." ^(VR1)