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Eliphaz Says Job Must Repent

¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

² "Can a mighty ^(C1)man be of use to God,
Or an insightful man be useful to himself?

³ "Is there any pleasure to ^(F1)the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?

⁴ "Is it because of your reverent fear that He reproves you,
That He ^(C1)enters into judgment against you?

⁵ "Is not ^(C1)your evil great,
And your iniquities without end?

⁶ "For you have ^(C1)taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And ^(C2)stripped the clothing of the naked.

⁷ "To the weary you have ^(C1)given no water to drink,
And from the hungry you have ^(C2)withheld bread.

⁸ "But the earth ^(C1)belongs to the ^(C2)mighty man,
And ^(C3)the ^(F1)highly respected man inhabits it.

⁹ "You have sent ^(C1)widows away empty,
And the ^(F1)might of the ^(C2)orphans has been crushed.

¹⁰ "Therefore ^(C1)snares surround you,
And sudden ^(C2)dread terrifies you,

¹¹ Or ^(C1)darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an ^(C2)abundance of water covers you.

¹² "Is not God ^(C1)in the height of heaven?
Look also at the ^(F1)distant stars, how high they are!

¹³ "You say, '^(C1)What does God know?
Can He judge through the dense gloom?

¹⁴ '^(C1)Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the ^(F1)vault of heaven.'

¹⁵ "Will you keep to the ancient path
Which ^(C1)wicked men have trod,

¹⁶ Who were snatched away ^(C1)before their time,
Whose ^(C2)foundations were ^(F1)washed away by a river?

¹⁷ "They ^(C1)said to God, 'Depart from us!'
And 'What can ^(F1)the Almighty do to them?'

¹⁸ "Yet He ^(C1)filled their houses with good things,
But ^(C2)the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁹ "The ^(C1)righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,

²⁰ Saying, 'Truly those who rise against us are wiped out,
And their ^(F1)abundance ^(C1)the fire has consumed.'

²¹ "^(F1)(C1)Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.

²² "Please receive ^(F1)(C1)instruction from His mouth
And set His words in your heart.

²³ "If you ^(C1)return to ^(F1)the Almighty, you will be ^(F2)restored;
If you ^(C2)remove unrighteousness far from your tent,

²⁴ And ^(C1)put your ^(F1)gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,

²⁵ Then ^(F1)the Almighty will be your ^(F2)gold
And choice silver to you.

²⁶ "For then you will ^(C1)delight in ^(F1)the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.

²⁷ "You will ^(C1)entreat Him, and ^(C2)He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.

²⁸ "You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And ^(C1)light will shine on your ways.

²⁹ "When ^(F1)some are cast down, you will speak with ^(F2)confidence,
And the ^(F3)(C1)humble person He will save.

³⁰ "He will provide escape for one who is not innocent,
And he will ^(C1)escape through the cleanness of your hands."