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Eliphaz's Third Speech

What Use Are We Humans to God?

22 Eliphaz from Teman[a] said:
(A) What use are we humans
    to God,
    even the wisest of us?
If you were completely sinless,
that would still mean nothing
    to God All-Powerful.
Is he correcting you
    for worshiping him?
No! It's because of
    your terrible and endless sins.
To guarantee payment of a debt,
you have taken clothes
    from innocent people.
And you refused bread and water
    to the hungry and thirsty,
although you were rich,
    respected, and powerful.
You have turned away widows
and have broken the arms
    of orphans.
10 That's why you were suddenly
    trapped by terror,
11 blinded by darkness,
    and drowned in a flood.

God Lives in the Heavens

12 God lives in the heavens
above the highest stars,
    where he sees everything.
13 Do you think the deep darkness
    hides you from God?
14 Do thick clouds cover his eyes,
as he walks around heaven's dome
    high above the earth?
15 Give up those ancient ideas
    believed by sinners,
16 who were swept away
    without warning.
17 They rejected God All-Powerful,
    feeling he was helpless,
18 although he had been kind
    to their families.
The beliefs of these sinners
    are truly disgusting.
19 When God's people see
the godless swept away,
they celebrate, 20     saying,
“Our enemies are gone,
and fire has destroyed
    their possessions.”

Surrender to God All-Powerful

21 Surrender to God All-Powerful!
You will find peace
    and prosperity.
22 Listen to his teachings
    and take them to heart.
23 If you return to God
and turn from sin,
    all will go well for you.
24 So get rid of your finest gold,
    as though it were sand.
25 Let God All-Powerful
    be your silver and gold,
26 and you will find happiness
    by worshiping him.
27 God will answer your prayers,
and you will keep the promises
    you made to him.
28 He will do whatever you ask,
    and life will be bright.
29 When others are disgraced,
God will clear their names
    in answer to your prayers.
30 Even those who are guilty
will be forgiven,
    because you obey God.[b]

Footnotes

  1. 22.1 Teman: See the note at 2.11.
  2. 22.30 God: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 29,30.

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