| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, | 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: |
| 2Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? | 2Can a man be of any use to God? Can even a wise man be of use to Him? |
| 3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? | 3Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous? Does He profit if you perfect your behavior? |
| 4Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment? | 4Does He correct you and take you to court because of your piety? |
| 5Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? | 5Isn't your wickedness abundant and aren't your iniquities endless? |
| 6For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. | 6For you took collateral from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked. |
| 7Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. | 7You gave no water to the thirsty and withheld food from the famished, |
| 8But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it. | 8while the land belonged to a powerful man and an influential man lived on it. |
| 9Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. | 9You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed. |
| 10Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee; | 10Therefore snares surround you, and sudden dread terrifies you, |
| 11Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee. | 11or darkness, so you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. |
| 12Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are! | 12Isn't God as high as the heavens? And look at the highest stars--how lofty they are! |
| 13And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud? | 13Yet you say: "What does God know? Can He judge through thick darkness? |
| 14Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven. | 14Clouds veil Him so that He cannot see, as He walks on the circle of the sky." |
| 15Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? | 15Will you continue on the ancient path that wicked men have walked? |
| 16Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: | 16They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were washed away by a river. |
| 17Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them? | 17They were the ones who said to God, "Leave us alone!" and "What can the Almighty do to us?" |
| 18Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. | 18But it was He who filled their houses with good things. The counsel of the wicked is far from me! |
| 19The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn. | 19The righteous see this and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying, |
| 20Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth. | 20"Surely our opponents are destroyed, and fire has consumed what they left behind." |
| 21Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. | 21Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you. |
| 22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. | 22Receive instruction from His mouth, and place His sayings in your heart. |
| 23If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. | 23If you return to the Almighty, you will be renewed. If you banish injustice from your tent |
| 24Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. | 24and consign your gold to the dust, the gold of Ophir to the stones in the wadis, |
| 25Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. | 25the Almighty will be your gold and your finest silver. |
| 26For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. | 26Then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. |
| 27Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. | 27You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. |
| 28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. | 28When you make a decision, it will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways. |
| 29When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. | 29When others are humiliated and you say, "Lift them up," God will save the humble. |
| 30He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands. | 30He will even rescue the guilty one, who will be rescued by the purity of your hands. |
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