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22:1  Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
22:2  “Can anyone ·be of real use to [benefit] God? Can even a ·wise [skilled] person ·do him good [benefit him]?
22:3  Does it ·help [delight; give pleasure to] ·the Almighty [Shaddai] for you to be ·good [righteous]? ·Does he gain anything [What profit is it to him] if you are ·innocent [blameless]?
22:4  Does God ·punish [reprimand; reprove] you for ·respecting him [L your fear; C in the sense of piety]? Does he ·bring you into court for this [L enter into judgment with you]?
22:5  No! It is because your evil is ·without limits [L abundant] and your ·sins have [guilt has] no end.
22:6  You ·took your brothers’ things for a debt they didn’t owe [L exacted pledges from your brothers for no reason; Ex. 21:25–27]; you took clothes from people and left them naked.
22:7  You did not give water to ·tired [weary] people, and you kept food from the ·hungry [famished; starving].
22:8  ·You were a powerful man who [L The powerful] owned land; ·you were honored and [L the favored] lived in the land.
22:9  But you sent widows away empty-handed, and you ·mistreated [L crushed the arms/strength of the] orphans.
22:10  That is why traps are all around you and sudden danger frightens you.
22:11  That is why it is so dark you cannot see and a flood of water covers you.
22:12  “·God is [L Is not God…?] in the highest part of heaven. See how high the highest stars are [C God is even higher]!
22:13  But you ask, ‘What does God know? Can he judge us through the ·dark clouds [thick darkness]?
22:14  Thick clouds ·cover [hide] him so he cannot see us as he ·walks [wanders] around ·high up in the sky [L the vault/dome of heaven; C Eliphaz suspects Job denies God knows what is going on in human affairs].’
22:15  Are you going to ·stay on [guard] the ·old [ancient] path where ·evil [guilty] people ·walk [tread]?
22:16  They were ·carried away [or bound up] before their time was up, and their foundations were washed away by a ·flood [L river].
22:17  They said to God, ‘·Leave us alone [Get away from us; 21:14]! ·The Almighty can do nothing [L What can the Almighty/Shaddai do…?] to us.’
22:18  But ·it was God [L was it not he…?] who filled their houses with good things. Their ·way of thinking [plan; counsel] is ·different [far] from mine [21:16].
22:19  “·Good [Righteous] people can watch and be glad; the innocent can ·laugh at [mock; ridicule] them and say,
22:20  ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed, and fire burns up ·their wealth [or what is left of theirs].’
22:21  “·Obey God [L Get along with him] and be at peace with him; this is the way to ·happiness [or prosperity; C Eliphaz calls on Job to repent].
22:22  Accept ·teaching [instruction] from his mouth, and ·keep [put] his words in your heart.
22:23  If you return to ·the Almighty [Shaddai], you will be ·blessed again [L restored]. So remove ·evil [iniquity] from your ·house [L tent].
22:24  ·Throw [Put] your gold nuggets into the dust and ·your fine gold [L Ophir; C referring to the fine gold of the region of Ophir, perhaps southern Arabia] among the rocks in the ·ravines [wadis].
22:25  Then ·the Almighty [Shaddai] will be your gold and the ·best [choice] silver for you.
22:26  You will ·find pleasure [delight] in ·the Almighty [Shaddai], and you will ·look up [show favor] to him.
22:27  You will ·pray to [entreat] him, and he will hear you, and you will keep your ·promises [vows; C made in anticipation of answered prayer] to him.
22:28  Anything you decide will be done, and light will ·shine on [illuminate] your ways.
22:29  When people are made humble and you say, ‘·Have courage [or It is pride],’ then ·the humble [L those with downcast eyes] will be saved.
22:30  ·Even a guilty person will escape [or He rescues the innocent] and ·be saved [or and saves you] because your hands are ·clean [pure].”