1 Thenzch. 2:11 Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 aSee ch. 35:7 “Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
or is it gain to him if youbSee Ps. 18:32 make your ways blameless?
4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
andcch. 14:3; [Ps. 143:2] enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your evil abundant?
There is no end to your iniquities.
6 For you havedch. 24:3, 9; Ex. 22:26; Deut. 24:6, 17; Ezek. 18:12, 16 exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
e[ch. 31:16] and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You have given no water to the weary to drink,
and you havef[ch. 31:17; Isa. 58:7; Ezek. 18:7, 16; Matt. 25:42] withheld bread from the hungry.
8 g[ch. 35:9] The man with power possessed the land,
andh2 Kgs. 5:1; Isa. 9:15 the favored man lived in it.
9 You havei[Luke 1:53] sent widows away empty,
andj[ch. 38:15] the arms ofkch. 31:21; Isa. 10:2; Ezek. 22:7 the fatherless were crushed.
10 Thereforelch. 18:8-10 snares are all around you,
and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11 orm[Ex. 10:22, 23] darkness, so that you cannot see,
and anch. 38:34 flood ofo[ch. 27:20; Ps. 69:1, 2, 14, 15; 124:5; Lam. 3:54; Jonah 2:3, 5] water covers you.
12 Is not God high in the heavens?
Seep[ch. 11:8] the highest stars, how lofty they are!
13 But you say,qPs. 73:11; [Ps. 10:11; 59:7; 64:5; 94:7; Isa. 29:15; Ezek. 8:12; 9:9] ‘What does God know?
Can he judge throughrch. 38:9 the deep darkness?
14 s[Ps. 139:11, 12]; [Prov. 8:27; Isa. 40:22] Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
and he walks on the vault of heaven. ’
15 Will you keep to the old way
that wicked men have trod?
16 They were snatched awaytSee ch. 15:32 before their time;
their foundation was washed away.
17 They said to God,uch. 21:14 ‘Depart from us, ’
andv[Ps. 4:6] ‘What can the Almighty do to us? ’
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things—
butwch. 21:16 the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 xPs. 52:6; 58:10; 107:42; [Ps. 64:10] The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent oneyPs. 2:4 mocks at them,
20 saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
and what they leftzch. 1:16 the fire has consumed. ’
21 aSee Ps. 119:45 Agree with God, andb[Prov. 3:2] be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction fromcProv. 2:6; [Mal. 2:7] his mouth,
anddPs. 119:11 lay up his words in your heart.
23 If youe[ch. 8:5, 6; 11:13, 14; Mal. 3:7] return to the Almighty you will befJer. 24:6; 33:7 built up;
if yougch. 11:14 remove injustice far from your tents,
24 if you lay gold inhch. 20:11; 21:26 the dust,
and gold ofiSee 1 Kgs. 9:28 Ophir among the stones of the torrent bed,
25 then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
26 For then youjch. 27:10; Ps. 37:4; Isa. 58:14 will delight yourself in the Almighty
andkSee ch. 11:15 lift up your face to God.
27 You willlch. 33:26; Ps. 50:14, 15; Isa. 58:9 make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you willmPs. 50:14 pay your vows.
28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
andnProv. 4:18 light will shine on your ways.
29 For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride ’;1Or you say, ‘It is exaltation’
but he savesoPs. 138:6; Prov. 3:34; 29:23; Matt. 23:12; Luke 1:52; James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5 the lowly.
30 Hep[Gen. 18:26] delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered throughqch. 17:9; Ps. 18:20, 24; 24:4; 26:6; [ch. 9:30] the cleanness of your hands. ”