| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded, | 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: |
| 2"Can a vigorous man be of use to God, Or a wise man be useful to himself? | 2Can a man be of any use to God? Can even a wise man be of use to Him? |
| 3"Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or profit if you make your ways perfect? | 3Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous? Does He profit if you perfect your behavior? |
| 4"Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you, That He enters into judgment against you? | 4Does He correct you and take you to court because of your piety? |
| 5"Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquities without end? | 5Isn't your wickedness abundant and aren't your iniquities endless? |
| 6"For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause, And stripped men naked. | 6For you took collateral from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked. |
| 7"To the weary you have given no water to drink, And from the hungry you have withheld bread. | 7You gave no water to the thirsty and withheld food from the famished, |
| 8"But the earth belongs to the mighty man, And the honorable man dwells in it. | 8while the land belonged to a powerful man and an influential man lived on it. |
| 9"You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the orphans has been crushed. | 9You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed. |
| 10"Therefore snares surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you, | 10Therefore snares surround you, and sudden dread terrifies you, |
| 11Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And an abundance of water covers you. | 11or darkness, so you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. |
| 12"Is not God in the height of heaven? Look also at the distant stars, how high they are! | 12Isn't God as high as the heavens? And look at the highest stars--how lofty they are! |
| 13"You say, 'What does God know? Can He judge through the thick darkness? | 13Yet you say: "What does God know? Can He judge through thick darkness? |
| 14'Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see; And He walks on the vault of heaven.' | 14Clouds veil Him so that He cannot see, as He walks on the circle of the sky." |
| 15"Will you keep to the ancient path Which wicked men have trod, | 15Will you continue on the ancient path that wicked men have walked? |
| 16Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundations were washed away by a river? | 16They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were washed away by a river. |
| 17"They said to God, 'Depart from us!' And 'What can the Almighty do to them?' | 17They were the ones who said to God, "Leave us alone!" and "What can the Almighty do to us?" |
| 18"Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. | 18But it was He who filled their houses with good things. The counsel of the wicked is far from me! |
| 19"The righteous see and are glad, And the innocent mock them, | 19The righteous see this and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying, |
| 20Saying, 'Truly our adversaries are cut off, And their abundance the fire has consumed.' | 20"Surely our opponents are destroyed, and fire has consumed what they left behind." |
| 21"Yield now and be at peace with Him; Thereby good will come to you. | 21Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you. |
| 22"Please receive instruction from His mouth And establish His words in your heart. | 22Receive instruction from His mouth, and place His sayings in your heart. |
| 23"If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent, | 23If you return to the Almighty, you will be renewed. If you banish injustice from your tent |
| 24And place your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks, | 24and consign your gold to the dust, the gold of Ophir to the stones in the wadis, |
| 25Then the Almighty will be your gold And choice silver to you. | 25the Almighty will be your gold and your finest silver. |
| 26"For then you will delight in the Almighty And lift up your face to God. | 26Then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. |
| 27"You will pray to Him, and He will hear you; And you will pay your vows. | 27You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. |
| 28"You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways. | 28When you make a decision, it will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways. |
| 29"When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence, And the humble person He will save. | 29When others are humiliated and you say, "Lift them up," God will save the humble. |
| 30"He will deliver one who is not innocent, And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands." | 30He will even rescue the guilty one, who will be rescued by the purity of your hands. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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