Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
Can a man be profitable unto God?
Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous?
Or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
Is it {Or, for fear of thee}for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee,
That he entereth with thee into judgment?
Is not thy wickedness great?
Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought,
And stripped the naked of their clothing.
Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink,
And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
But as for the {Hebrew: the man of arm.}mighty man, he had the {Or, land}earth;
And {Hebrew: he whose person is accepted.}the honorable man, he dwelt in it.
Thou hast sent widows away empty,
And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Therefore snares are round about thee,
And sudden fear troubleth thee,
{Or, Or dost thou not see the darkness, And the flood of waters that covereth thee?}Or darkness, so that thou canst not see,
And abundance of waters cover thee.
Is not God in the height of heaven?
And behold the {Hebrew: head.}height of the stars, how high they are!
And thou sayest, What doth God know?
Can he judge through the thick darkness?
Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not;
And he walketh on the vault of heaven.
{Or, Dost thou mark}Wilt thou keep the old way
Which wicked men have trodden?
Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
Who said unto God, Depart from us;
And, What can the Almighty do {Or, to}for {Hebrew: them.}us?
Yet he filled their houses with good things:
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
The righteous see it, and are glad;
And the innocent laugh them to scorn,
Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off,
And the {Or, that which remained to them Or, their abundance}remnant of them the fire hath consumed.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace:
{Or,as otherwise read, Thereby shall thine increase be good.}Thereby good shall come unto thee.
Receive, I pray thee, {Or, instruction}the law from his mouth,
And lay up his words in thy heart.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up,
{Or, Thou shall put away…And shall lay up}If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.
And lay thou thy {Hebrew: ore.}treasure {Or, on the earth}in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks;
And the Almighty will be thy {Hebrew: ore.}treasure,
And {Or, precious silver shall be thine}precious silver unto thee.
For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty,
And shalt lift up thy face unto God.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee;
And thou shalt pay thy vows.
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee;
And light shall shine upon thy ways.
When they {Or, are made low}cast thee down, thou shalt say, There is lifting up;
And {Hebrew: him that is lowly of eyes.}the humble person he will save.
He will deliver even him that is not innocent:
Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.
Querverweise zu Hiob 22,5 Hiob 22,5
Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?Or where were the upright cut off?
According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity,And sow {Or, mischief}trouble, reap the same.
By the breath of God they perish,And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.
The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion,And the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey,And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.
Who can discern his errors?Clear thou me from hidden faults.
If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away,And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents.
For innumerable evils have compassed me about;Mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;They are more than the hairs of my head;And my heart hath {Hebrew: forsaken.}failed me.
For {Or, thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity}thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth,And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I;Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself;For vanity shall be his recompense.
It shall be {Or, paid in full.}accomplished before his time,And his branch shall not be green.
He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine,And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.
For the company of the godless shall be barren,And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
Behold, I know your thoughts,And the devices wherewith ye would wrong me.
Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.