King James Bible | New Living Translation |
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, | 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: |
2Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? | 2“Can a person do anything to help God? Can even a wise person be helpful to him? |
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? | 3Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect? |
4Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment? | 4Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you and brings judgment against you? |
5Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? | 5No, it’s because of your wickedness! There’s no limit to your sins. |
6For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. | 6“For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone. |
7Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. | 7You must have refused water for the thirsty and food for the hungry. |
8But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it. | 8You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it! |
9Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. | 9You must have sent widows away empty-handed and crushed the hopes of orphans. |
10Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee; | 10That is why you are surrounded by traps and tremble from sudden fears. |
11Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee. | 11That is why you cannot see in the darkness, and waves of water cover you. |
12Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are! | 12“God is so great—higher than the heavens, higher than the farthest stars. |
13And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud? | 13But you reply, ‘That’s why God can’t see what I am doing! How can he judge through the thick darkness? |
14Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven. | 14For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’ |
15Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? | 15“Will you continue on the old paths where evil people have walked? |
16Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: | 16They were snatched away in the prime of life, the foundations of their lives washed away. |
17Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them? | 17For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone! 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. | 18Yet he was the one who filled their homes with good things, so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking. |
19The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn. | 19“The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed, and the innocent will laugh in contempt. |
20Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth. | 20They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed. The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’ |
21Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. | 21“Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you. |
22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. | 22Listen to his instructions, and store them in your heart. |
23If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. | 23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored— so clean up your life. |
24Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. | 24If you give up your lust for money and throw your precious gold into the river, |
25Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. | 25the Almighty himself will be your treasure. He will be your precious silver! |
26For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. | 26“Then you will take delight in the Almighty and look up to God. |
27Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. | 27You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to him. |
28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. | 28You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you. |
29When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. | 29If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’ God will save them. |
30He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands. | 30Even sinners will be rescued; they will be rescued because your hands are pure.” |
King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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