Job 22–24

¹And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith:— ²To God is a man profitable, Because a wise man to himself is profitable? ³Is it a delight to the Mighty One That thou art righteous? is it gain, That thou makest perfect thy ways? ⁴Because of thy reverence Doth He reason with thee? He entereth with thee into judgment:

⁵Is not thy wickedness abundant? And there is no end to thine iniquities. ⁶For thou takest a pledge of thy brother for nought, And the garments of the naked Thou dost strip off. ⁷Thou causest not the weary to drink water, And from the hungry thou withholdest bread. ⁸As to the man of arm—he hath the earth, And the accepted of face—he dwelleth in it. ⁹Widows thou hast sent away empty, And the arms of the fatherless are bruised. ¹⁰Therefore round about thee are snares, And trouble thee doth fear suddenly. ¹¹Or darkness—thou dost not see, And abundance of waters doth cover thee. ¹²Is not God high in heaven? And see the summit of the stars, That they are high. ¹³And thou hast said, ‘What—hath God known? Through thickness doth He judge? ¹⁴Thick clouds are a secret place to Him, And He doth not see;’ And the circle of the heavens He walketh habitually,

¹⁵The path of the age dost thou observe, That men of iniquity have trodden? ¹⁶Who have been cut down unexpectedly, A flood is poured out on their foundation. ¹⁷Those saying to God, ‘Turn aside from us,’ And what doth the Mighty One to them? ¹⁸And he hath filled their houses with good: (And the counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.) ¹⁹See do the righteous and they rejoice, And the innocent mocketh at them, ²⁰‘Surely our substance hath not been cut off, And their excellency hath fire consumed.’

²¹Acquaint thyself, I pray thee, with Him, And be at peace, Thereby thine increase is good. ²²Receive, I pray thee, from His mouth a law, And set His sayings in thy heart. ²³If thou dost return unto the Mighty Thou art built up, Thou puttest iniquity far from thy tents. ²⁴So as to set on the dust a defence, And on a rock of the valleys a covering. ²⁵And the Mighty hath been thy defence, And silver is strength to thee. ²⁶For then on the Mighty thou delightest thyself, And dost lift up unto God thy face, ²⁷Thou dost make supplication unto Him, And He doth hear thee, And thy vows thou completest. ²⁸And thou decreest a saying, And it is established to thee, And on thy ways hath light shone. ²⁹For they have made low, And thou sayest, ‘Lift up.’ And the bowed down of eyes he saveth. ³⁰He delivereth the not innocent, Yea, he hath been delivered By the cleanness of thy hands.

Chapter 23

¹And Job answereth and saith:— ²Also—to-day is my complaint bitter, My hand hath been heavy because of my sighing. ³O that I had known—and I find Him, I come in unto His seat, ⁴I arrange before Him the cause, And my mouth fill with arguments. ⁵I know the words He doth answer me, And understand what He saith to me. ⁶In the abundance of power doth He strive with me? No! surely He putteth it in me. ⁷There the upright doth reason with Him, And I escape for ever from my judge.

⁸Lo, forward I go—and He is not, And backward—and I perceive him not. ⁹To the left in His working—and I see not, He is covered on the right, and I behold not. ¹⁰For He hath known the way with me, He hath tried me—as gold I go forth. ¹¹On His step hath my foot laid hold, His way I have kept, and turn not aside, ¹²The command of His lips, and I depart not. Above my allotted portion I have laid up The sayings of His mouth.

¹³And He is in one mind, And who doth turn Him back? And His soul hath desired—and He doth it. ¹⁴For He doth complete my portion, And many such things are with Him. ¹⁵Therefore, from His presence I am troubled, I consider, and am afraid of Him. ¹⁶And God hath made my heart soft, And the Mighty hath troubled me. ¹⁷For I have not been cut off before darkness, And before me He covered thick darkness.

Chapter 24

¹Wherefore from the Mighty One Times have not been hidden, And those knowing Him have not seen His days. ²The borders they reach, A drove they have taken violently away, Yea, they do evil. ³The ass of the fatherless they lead away, They take in pledge the ox of the widow, ⁴They turn aside the needy from the way, Together have hid the poor of the earth. ⁵Lo, wild asses in a wilderness, They have gone out about their work, Seeking early for prey, A mixture for himself—food for young ones. ⁶In a field his provender they reap, And the vineyard of the wicked they glean. ⁷The naked they cause to lodge Without clothing. And there is no covering in the cold. ⁸From the inundation of hills they are wet, And without a refuge—have embraced a rock. ⁹They take violently away From the breast the orphan, And on the poor they lay a pledge. ¹⁰Naked, they have gone without clothing, And hungry—have taken away a sheaf. ¹¹Between their walls they make oil, Wine-presses they have trodden, and thirst. ¹²Because of enmity men do groan, And the soul of pierced ones doth cry, And God doth not give praise.

¹³They have been among rebellious ones of light, They have not discerned His ways, Nor abode in His paths. ¹⁴At the light doth the murderer rise, He doth slay the poor and needy, And in the night he is as a thief. ¹⁵And the eye of an adulterer Hath observed the twilight, Saying, ‘No eye doth behold me.’ And he putteth the face in secret. ¹⁶He hath dug in the darkness—houses; By day they shut themselves up, They have not known light. ¹⁷When together, morning is to them death shade, When he discerneth the terrors of death shade.

¹⁸Light he is on the face of the waters, Vilified is their portion in the earth, He turneth not the way of vineyards. ¹⁹Drought—also heat—consume snow-waters, Sheol those who have sinned. ²⁰Forget him doth the womb, Sweeten on him doth the worm, No more is he remembered, And broken as a tree is wickedness. ²¹Treating evil the barren who beareth not, And to the widow he doth no good, ²²And hath drawn the mighty by his power, He riseth, and none believeth in life. ²³He giveth to him confidence, and he is supported, And his eyes are on their ways. ²⁴High they were for a little, and they are not, And they have been brought low. As all others they are shut up, And as the head of an ear of corn cut off. ²⁵And if not now, who doth prove me a liar, And doth make of nothing my word?

Chapter 25