NET Bible | King James Bible |
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: | 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, |
2"Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit? Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable? | 2Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? |
3Is it of any special benefit to the Almighty that you should be righteous, or is it any gain to him that you make your ways blameless? | 3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? |
4Is it because of your piety that he rebukes you and goes to judgment with you? | 4Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment? |
5Is not your wickedness great and is there no end to your iniquity? | 5Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? |
6"For you took pledges from your brothers for no reason, and you stripped the clothing from the naked. | 6For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. |
7You gave the weary no water to drink and from the hungry you withheld food. | 7Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. |
8Although you were a powerful man, owning land, an honored man living on it, | 8But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it. |
9you sent widows away empty-handed, and the arms of the orphans you crushed. | 9Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. |
10That is why snares surround you, and why sudden fear terrifies you, | 10Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee; |
11why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you. | 11Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee. |
12"Is not God on high in heaven? And see the lofty stars, how high they are! | 12Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are! |
13But you have said, 'What does God know? Does he judge through such deep darkness? | 13And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud? |
14Thick clouds are a veil for him, so he does not see us, as he goes back and forth in the vault of heaven.' | 14Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven. |
15Will you keep to the old path that evil men have walked-- | 15Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? |
16men who were carried off before their time, when the flood was poured out on their foundations? | 16Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: |
17They were saying to God, 'Turn away from us,' and 'What can the Almighty do to us?' | 17Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them? |
18But it was he who filled their houses with good things--yet the counsel of the wicked was far from me. | 18Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. |
19The righteous see their destruction and rejoice; the innocent mock them scornfully, saying, | 19The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn. |
20Surely our enemies are destroyed, and fire consumes their wealth.' | 20Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth. |
21"Reconcile yourself with God, and be at peace with him; in this way your prosperity will be good. | 21Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. |
22Accept instruction from his mouth and store up his words in your heart. | 22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. |
23If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; if you remove wicked behavior far from your tent, | 23If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. |
24and throw your gold in the dust--your gold of Ophir among the rocks in the ravines-- | 24Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. |
25then the Almighty himself will be your gold, and the choicest silver for you. | 25Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. |
26Surely then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and will lift up your face toward God. | 26For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. |
27You will pray to him and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to him. | 27Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. |
28Whatever you decide on a matter, it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. | 28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. |
29When people are brought low and you say 'Lift them up!' then he will save the downcast; | 29When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. |
30he will deliver even someone who is not innocent, who will escape through the cleanness of your hands." | 30He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands. |
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