22:001

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said

22:002

Can a man be profitable unto G-d? Or can he that is wise be profitable unto Him

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Is it any advantage to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to Him, that thou makest thy ways blameless

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Is it for thy fear of Him that He reproveth thee, that He entereth with thee into judgment

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Is not thy wickedness great? And are not thine iniquities without end

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For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing

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Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry

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And as a mighty man, who hath the earth, and as a man of rank, who dwelleth in it

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

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Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden dread affrighted thee

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Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and abundance of waters cover thee

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Is not G-d in the height of heaven? And behold the topmost of the stars, how high they are

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And thou sayest: 'What doth G-d know? Can He judge through the dark cloud

22:014

Thick clouds are a covering to Him, that He seeth not; and He walketh in the circuit of heaven.

22:015

Wilt thou keep the old way which wicked men have trodden

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

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Who said unto G-d: 'Depart from us'; and what could the Almighty do unto them

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Yet He filled their houses with good things--but the counsel of the wicked is far from me

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The righteous saw it, and were glad, and the innocent laugh them to scorn

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'Surely their substance is cut off, and their abundance the fire hath consumed.

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Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace; thereby shall thine increase be good

22:022

Receive, I pray thee, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in thy heart

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If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up--if thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents

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And lay thy treasure in the dust, and the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks

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And the Almighty be thy treasure, and precious silver unto thee

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Then surely shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto G-d

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Thou shalt make thy prayer unto Him, and He will hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows

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Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee, and light shall shine upon thy ways

22:029

When they cast thee down, thou shalt say: 'There is lifting up'; for the humble person He saveth

22:030

He delivereth him that is innocent, yea, thou shalt be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands