King James Version KJV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
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Next Elifaz the Teimani replied:
2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
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"Can a human be of advantage to God? Can even the wisest benefit him?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
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Does Shaddai gain if you are righteous? Does he profit if you make your ways blameless?
4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
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"Is he rebuking you because you fear him? Is this why he enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
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Isn't it because your wickedness is great? Aren't your iniquities endless?
6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
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"For you kept your kinsmen's goods as collateral for no reason, you stripped the poorly clothed of what clothing they have,
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
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you didn't give water to the weary to drink, you withheld food from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
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As a wealthy man, an owner of land, and as a man of rank, who lives on it,
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
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you sent widows away empty-handed and left the arms of orphans crushed.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
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"No wonder there are snares all around you, and sudden terror overwhelms you,
11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
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or darkness , so that you can't see, and a flood of water that covers you up!
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
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"Isn't God in the heights of heaven, looking [down even] on the highest stars?
13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
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Yet you say, 'What does God know? Can he see through thick darkness to judge?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
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The clouds veil him off, so that he can't see; he just wanders around in heaven.'
15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
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"Are you going to keep to the old way, the one the wicked have trodden,
16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
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the ones snatched away before their time, whose foundations a flood swept away?
17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
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They said to God, 'Leave us alone! What can Shaddai do to us?'
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
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Yet he himself had filled their homes with good things! (But the advice of the wicked is far away from me.)
19 The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
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The righteous saw this and rejoiced; the innocent laughed them to scorn -
20 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
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'Indeed, our substance has not been not cut off, but the fire has consumed their wealth.'
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
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"Learn to be at peace with [God]; in this way good will come [back] to you.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
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Please! Receive instruction from his mouth, and take his words to heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
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If you return to Shaddai, you will be built up. If you drive wickedness far from your tents,
24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
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if you lay your treasure down in the dust and the gold of Ofir among the rocks in the vadis,
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
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and let Shaddai be your treasure and your sparkling silver;
26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
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then Shaddai will be your delight, you will lift up your face to God;
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
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you will entreat him, and he will hear you, and you will pay what you vowed;
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
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what you decide to do will succeed, and light will shine on your path;
29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
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when someone is brought down, you will say, 'It was pride, because [God] saves the humble.'
30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
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"He delivers even the unclean; so if your hands are clean, you will be delivered."