¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered ,

²“Can a man be profitable to God?

Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself .

³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous ?

Or does it benefit him that you make your ways perfect ?

⁴Is it for your piety that he reproves you ,

that he enters with you into judgement?

⁵Isn’t your wickedness great ?

Neither is there any end to your iniquities .

⁶For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing ,

and stripped the naked of their clothing.

⁷You haven’t given water to the weary to drink ,

and you have withheld bread from the hungry .

⁸But as for the mighty man , he had the earth.

The honourable man , he lived in it .

⁹You have sent widows away empty ,

and the arms of the fatherless have been broken .

¹⁰Therefore snares are around you .

Sudden fear troubles you ,

¹¹or darkness , so that you can not see ,

and floods of waters cover you .

¹²“Isn’t God in the heights of heaven ?

See the height of the stars , how high they are !

¹³You say, ‘What does God know ?

Can he judge through the thick darkness ?

¹⁴Thick clouds are a covering to him , so that he doesn’t see .

He walks on the vault of the sky .’

¹⁵Will you keep the old way,

which wicked men have trodden ,

¹⁶who were snatched away before their time ,

whose foundation was poured out as a stream ,

¹⁷who said to God, ‘Depart from us !’

and , ‘What can the Almighty do for us ?’

¹⁸Yet he filled their houses with good things ,

but the counsel of the wicked is far from me .

¹⁹The righteous see it , and are glad .

The innocent ridicule them ,

²⁰saying, ‘Surely those who rose up against us are cut off .

The fire has consumed their remnant .’

²¹“Acquaint yourself with him now , and be at peace .

By it , good will come to you .

²²Please receive instruction from his mouth ,

and lay up his words in your heart .

²³If you return to the Almighty , you will be built up ,

if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.

²⁴Lay your treasure in the dust ,

the gold of Ophir amongst the stones of the brooks .

²⁵The Almighty will be your treasure,

and precious silver to you .

²⁶For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty ,

and will lift up your face to God.

²⁷You will make your prayer to him , and he will hear you .

You will pay your vows .

²⁸You will also decree a thing, and it will be established to you .

Light will shine on your ways .

²⁹When they cast down , you will say, ‘be lifted up .’

He will save the humble person .

³⁰He will even deliver him who is not innocent .

Yes, he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands .”