Jó 22

¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and sayde,

² Can a man beThough man was just, yet God could not profit from this his justice; and therefore when he punished him, he had no regard to his justice, but to his sin.profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?

³ Is it any thing vnto the Almightie, that thou art righteous? or is it profitable to him, that thou makest thy wayes vpright?

⁴ Will he reprove thee for fearLest you should reprove or hurt him?of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?

⁵ Is not thy wickednes great, and thine iniquities innumerable?

⁶ For thou hast taken aYou have been cruel and without charity, and would do nothing for the poor, but for your own advantage.pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

⁷ To such as were wearie, thou hast not giuen water to drinke, and hast withdrawen bread from the hungrie.

⁸ But [as for] the mighty man, heWhen you were in power and authority you did not do justice but wrong.had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.

⁹ Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of theYou have not only not shown pity, but oppressed them.fatherless have been broken.

¹⁰ Therefore snares are round about thee, and feare shal suddenly trouble thee:

¹¹ Or darkness, [that] thou canst not see; andThat is, manifold afflictions.abundance of waters cover thee.

¹² [Is] not God in theHe accuses Job of impiety and contempt of God, as thought he would say, If you pass not for men, yet consider the height of God's majesty.height of heaven? and behold the height of theThat so much the more by that excellent work you may fear God, and reverence him.stars, how high they are!

¹³ And thou sayest, How doth GodHe reproves Job, as though he denied God's providence and that he could not see the things that were done in this world.know? can he judge through the dark cloud?

¹⁴ The cloudes hide him that he can not see, and he walketh in the circle of heauen.

¹⁵ Hast thou marked the old wayHow God has punished them from the beginning?which wicked men have trodden?

¹⁶ Which wereHe proves God's providence by the punishment of the wicked, whom he takes away before they can bring their wicked purposes to pass.cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

¹⁷ Which sayd vnto God, Depart from vs, & asked what the Almightie could do for them.

¹⁸ Yet heHe answers to that which Job had said, (Job_21:7) that the wicked have prosperity in this world; desiring that he might not be a partaker of the like.filled their houses with good [things]: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁹ The righteous see [it], and are glad:The just rejoice at the destruction of the wicked for two reasons, first because God shows himself judge of the world and by this means continues his honour and glory: secondly because God shows that he had care over his in that he punished their enemies.and the innocent laugh them to scorn.

²⁰ WhereasThat is, the state and preservation of the godly, is hid under God's wings.our substance is not cut down, but the remnant ofMeaning of the wicked.them the fire consumeth.

²¹ Acquaint now thyselfHe exhorts Job to repentance, and to return to God.with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

²² Receiue, I pray thee, the law of his mouth, and lay vp his words in thine heart.

²³ If thou return to the Almighty, thou shaltGod will restore to you all your substance.be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

²⁴ Then shalt thou lay up gold asWhich will be in abundance like dust.dust, and the [gold] of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

²⁵ Yea, the Almightie shalbe thy defence, and thou shalt haue plentie of siluer.

²⁶ And thou shalt then delite in the Almightie, and lift vp thy face vnto God.

²⁷ Thou shalt make thy praier vnto him, & he shal heare thee, & thou shalt render thy vowes.

²⁸ Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and theThat is, the favour of God.light shall shine upon thy ways.

²⁹ God will deliver his when the wicked are destroyed round about them, as in the flood and in Sodom.When [men] are cast down, then thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

³⁰ He shall deliver theGod will deliver a whole country from peril, even for the just man's sake.island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.