1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

2Can a man, then, profit God? Behold, the wise man profiteth himself.

3Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous; Or a gain to him, that thou walkest uprightly?

4Will he contend with thee because he feareth thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?

5Hath not thy wickedness been great? Have not thine iniquities been numberless?

6For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother unjustly, And stripped the poor of their clothing.

7Thou hast given the weary no water to drink, And withholden bread from the hungry.

8But the man of power, his was the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it.

9Thou hast sent widows away empty, And broken the arms of the fatherless.

10Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear confoundeth thee;

11Or darkness, through which thou canst not see, And floods of water cover thee.

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

13Hence thou sayest, “What doth God know? Can he govern behind the thick darkness?

14Dark clouds are a veil to him, and he cannot see; And he walketh upon the arch of heaven.”

15Wilt thou take the old way Which wicked men have trodden,

16Who were cut down before their time, And whose foundations were swept away by a flood?

17Who said unto God, “Depart from us!” And, “What can the Almighty do to us?”

18And yet he filled their houses with good things!—Far from me be the counsel of the wicked!

19The righteous see their fate, and rejoice; And the innocent hold them in derision.

20“Truly our adversary is destroyed, And fire hath consumed his abundance!”

21Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thus shall prosperity return to thee.

22Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, And lay up his words in thy heart.

23If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up; If thou put away iniquity from thy tent.

24Cast to the dust thy gold, And the gold of Ophir to the stones of the brook:

25Then shall the Almighty be thy gold, Yea, treasures of silver unto thee;

26For then shalt thou have delight in the Almighty, And shalt lift up thy face unto God.

27Thou shalt pray to him, and he shall hear thee, And thou shalt perform thy vows.

28The purpose which thou formest shall prosper with thee, And light shall shine upon thy ways.

29When men are cast down, thou shalt say, “There lifting up!” And the humble person he will save.

30He will deliver even him that is not innocent. The purity of thy hands shall save him.