¹ Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and said,

² Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.

³ Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou are righteous? Or is it gain to him that thou make thy ways perfect?

⁴ Is it for thy fear of him that he reproves thee, that he enters with thee into judgment?

⁵ Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.

⁶ For thou have taken pledges from thy brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

⁷ Thou have not given water to the weary to drink, and thou have withheld bread from the hungry.

⁸ But as for the mighty man, he had the land. And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.

⁹ Thou have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

¹⁰ Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubles thee,

¹¹ or darkness, so that thou cannot see, and abundance of waters cover thee.

¹² Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!

¹³ And thou say, What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?

¹⁴ Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.

¹⁵ Will thou keep the old way which wicked men have trodden?

¹⁶ Who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,

¹⁷ who said to God, Depart from us, and, What can the Almighty do for us?

¹⁸ Yet he filled their houses with good things. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁹ The righteous see it, and are glad. And the innocent laugh them to scorn,

²⁰ Saying, Surely those who rose up against us are cut off, and the remnant of them, the fire has consumed.

²¹ Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. By this good shall come to thee.

²² Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.

²³ If thou return to the Almighty, thou shall be built up, thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.

²⁴ Then thou shall lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

²⁵ Yea, the Almighty will be thy treasure, and precious silver to thee.

²⁶ For then shall thou delight thyself in the Almighty, and shall lift up thy face to God.

²⁷ Thou shall make thy prayer to him, and he will hear thee, and thou shall pay thy vows.

²⁸ Thou shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to thee. And light shall shine upon thy ways.

²⁹ When they cast thee down, thou shall say, There is lifting up, and he will save the humble man.

³⁰ He will deliver even him who is not innocent. Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.