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The Bible · 458 of 1189

Job 22

1.Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2. Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? 3. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? 4. Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?

5.Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? 6. For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. 7. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. 8. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it. 9. Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. 10. Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee; 11. Or darkness, that thou canst not 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 sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud? 14. Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.

15.Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? 16. Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: 17. Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them? 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. Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.

21.Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. 22. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. 23. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. 24. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. 25. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. 26. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. 28. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. 29. When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. 30. He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

Asked of Guide

Why does Eliphaz accuse Job of specific social sins like withholding bread and clothing?

Eliphaz argues Job’s suffering stems from concrete injustices: taking pledges, stripping the naked, denying water and bread, sending widows away. He pictures these acts as evidence of “wickedness great” whose consequences—snares, darkness, floods—expose a moral cause-and-effect in the world.

He presses a remedy of repentance and return: “Acquaint now thyself with him” and “Receive… the law from his mouth,” promising restoration—wealth, protection, and answered prayer—if Job abandons those social sins. This fits the retribution theology found elsewhere in Proverbs, which links righteous conduct to tangible blessing.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.