Job 22:21-30

21 Now, Job, make peace with God and stop treating him like an enemy; if you do, then he will bless you.
22 Accept the teaching he gives; keep his words in your heart.
23 Yes, you must humbly return to God and put an end to all the evil that is done in your house.
24 Throw away your gold; dump your finest gold in the dry stream bed.
25 Let Almighty God be your gold, and let him be silver, piled high for you.
26 Then you will always trust in God and find that he is the source of your joy.
27 When you pray, he will answer you, and you will keep the vows you made.
28 You will succeed in all you do, and light will shine on your path.
29 God brings down the proud and saves the humble.
30 He will rescue you if you are innocent, if what you do is right.

Job 22:21-30 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 22

This chapter contains the third and last reply of Eliphaz to Job, in which he charges him with having too high an opinion of himself, of his holiness and righteousness, as if God was profited by it, and laid thereby under obligation to him, whereas he was not, Job 22:1-3; and as if he reproved and chastised him, because of his fear of him, whereas it was because of his sins, Job 22:4,5; an enumeration of which he gives, as of injustice, oppression, cruelty to the poor, and even of atheism and infidelity, for which snares and fears were around him, and various calamities, Job 22:6-14; and compares his way and course of life to that of the men of the old world, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, and suggests that his end would be like theirs, unless he repented, Job 22:15-20; and then concludes with an exhortation to him to return to God by repentance, and to reform, when he should see happy times again, and enjoy much outward and inward prosperity, and be an instrument of doing much good to many, Job 22:21-30.

Footnotes 4

  • [a]. [One ancient translation] humbly; [Hebrew] be built up.
  • [b]. [Probable text] proud; [Hebrew unclear.]
  • [c]. [Some ancient translations] innocent; [Hebrew] not innocent.
  • [d]. [Verse 30 in Hebrew is unclear.]
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.