| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: | 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: |
| 2“Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself? | 2Can a man be of any use to God? Can even a wise man be of use to Him? |
| 3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless? | 3Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous? Does He profit if you perfect your behavior? |
| 4“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, And enters into judgment with you? | 4Does He correct you and take you to court because of your piety? |
| 5Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end? | 5Isn't your wickedness abundant and aren't your iniquities endless? |
| 6For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing. | 6For you took collateral from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked. |
| 7You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. | 7You gave no water to the thirsty and withheld food from the famished, |
| 8But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it. | 8while the land belonged to a powerful man and an influential man lived on it. |
| 9You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed. | 9You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed. |
| 10Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles 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? And see the highest stars, how lofty they are! | 12Isn't God as high as the heavens? And look at the highest stars--how lofty they are! |
| 13And you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness? | 13Yet you say: "What does God know? Can He judge through thick darkness? |
| 14Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.’ | 14Clouds veil Him so that He cannot see, as He walks on the circle of the sky." |
| 15Will you keep to the old way Which wicked men have trod, | 15Will you continue on the ancient path that wicked men have walked? |
| 16Who were cut down before their time, Whose foundations were swept away by a flood? | 16They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were washed away by a river. |
| 17They said to God, ‘Depart from us! 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?" |
| 18Yet 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 it and are glad, And the innocent laugh at them: | 19The righteous see this and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying, |
| 20‘Surely our adversaries are cut down, And the fire consumes their remnant.’ | 20"Surely our opponents are destroyed, and fire has consumed what they left behind." |
| 21“Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you. | 21Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you. |
| 22Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart. | 22Receive instruction from His mouth, and place His sayings in your heart. |
| 23If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents. | 23If you return to the Almighty, you will be renewed. If you banish injustice from your tent |
| 24Then you will lay 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, |
| 25Yes, the Almighty will be your gold And your precious silver; | 25the Almighty will be your gold and your finest silver. |
| 26For then you will have your 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. |
| 27You will make your prayer to Him, 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. |
| 28You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. | 28When you make a decision, it will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways. |
| 29When they cast you down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’ Then He will save the humble person. | 29When others are humiliated and you say, "Lift them up," God will save the humble. |
| 30He will even deliver one who is not innocent; Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.” | 30He will even rescue the guilty one, who will be rescued by the purity of your hands. |
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