Eliphaz Talks

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, ² “Can a man be of use to God? Can a wise man be of use to himself? ³ Is the All-powerful pleased if you are right and good? Is it of any use to Him if your ways were perfect? ⁴ Is it because of how you honor God that He speaks strong words to you and punishes you? ⁵ Have you not done much wrong and your sins have no end? ⁶ For you have taken things from your brothers when they did not owe you anything. You have taken all their clothing and they have had nothing to wear. ⁷ To those who were tired, you have given no water to drink. And you have kept bread from the hungry. ⁸ But you were a powerful and respected man owning land and living on it. ⁹ You have sent women away with nothing, whose husbands have died. And you have crushed the strength of children who have no parents. ¹⁰ So traps are all around you, and much fear comes upon you all at once. ¹¹ This is why it is dark and you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.

¹² “Is not God high up in heaven? See the highest stars, how high they are! ¹³ So you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the darkness? ¹⁴ Clouds cover Him so that He cannot see. He walks on the roof of heaven.’ ¹⁵ Will you keep to the old way which sinful men have walked? ¹⁶ They were taken away before their time. The ground they stood on was washed away by a river. ¹⁷ They said to God, ‘Leave us!’ and ‘What can the All-powerful do to us?’ ¹⁸ Yet He filled their houses with good things. But the wisdom of the sinful is far from me. ¹⁹ Those who are right and good see it and are glad. Those who are without guilt make fun of them, ²⁰ saying, ‘For sure those who hate us are destroyed, and fire has destroyed what they owned.’

²¹ “Agree with God, and be at peace with Him. Then good will come to you. ²² Receive the teaching from His mouth, and keep His words in your heart. ²³ If you return to the All-powerful, things will be well with you again. Put sin far from your tent. ²⁴ Put your gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the river. ²⁵ Then the All-powerful will be your gold and silver of much worth. ²⁶ Then you will have joy in the All-powerful, and lift up your face to God. ²⁷ You will pray to Him, and He will hear you. And you will keep your promises to Him. ²⁸ You will decide something, and it will be done for you. Light will shine on your path. ²⁹ For God puts down the man who is filled with pride. But He saves the one who is not proud. ³⁰ He will save the man who is even guilty because he will be helped by your hands that are clean.”