Job 22:2-1953 kjv — Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty…

“ Can a man be profitable unto God? Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gainto him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee, That he entereth with thee into judgment? Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities. For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, And stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; And the honorable man, he dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless have been broken. Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear troubleth thee, Or darkness, so that thou canst not see, And abundance of waters cover thee. Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness? Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not; And he walketh on the vault of heaven. Wilt thou keep the old way Which wicked men have trodden? Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream, Who said unto God, Depart from us; And, What can the Almighty do for us? Yet he filled their houses with good things: But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. The righteous see it, and are glad; And the innocent laugh them to scorn, Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off, And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, And lay up his words in thy heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents. And lay thou thy treasure in the dust, Andthe gold ofOphir among the stones of the brooks; And the Almighty will be thy treasure, And precious silver unto thee. For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, And shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee; And thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; And light shall shine upon thy ways. When they casttheedown, thou shalt say, There is lifting up; And the humble person he will save. He will deliverevenhim that is not innocent: Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands. ”

“"Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him, that you make your ways perfect? Is it for your piety that he reproves you, that he enters with you into judgment? Isn't your wickedness great? Neither is there any end to your iniquities. For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing. You haven't given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth. The honorable man, he lived in it. You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. Therefore snares are around you. Sudden fear troubles you, or darkness, so that you can not see, and floods of waters cover you. "Isn't God in the heights of heaven? See the height of the stars, how high they are! You say, 'What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness? Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn't see. He walks on the vault of the sky.' Will you keep the old way, which wicked men have trodden, who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream, who said to God, 'Depart from us;' and, 'What can the Almighty do for us?' Yet he filled their houses with good things, but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. The righteous see it, and are glad. The innocent ridicule them, saying, 'Surely those who rose up against us are cut off. The fire has consumed the remnant of them.' "Acquaint yourself with him, now, and be at peace. Thereby good shall come to you. Please receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you shall be built up, if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents. Lay your treasure in the dust, the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks. The Almighty will be your treasure, and precious silver to you. For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and shall lift up your face to God. You shall make your prayer to him, and he will hear you. You shall pay your vows. You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to you. Light shall shine on your ways. When they cast down, you shall say, 'be lifted up.' He will save the humble person. He will even deliver him who is not innocent. Yes, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."”

““Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit? Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable? Is it of any special benefit to the Almighty that you should be righteous, or is it any gain to him that you make your ways blameless? Is it because of your piety that he rebukes you and goes to judgment with you? Is not your wickedness great and is there no end to your iniquity? “For you took pledges from your brothers for no reason, and you stripped the clothing from the naked. You gave the weary no water to drink and from the hungry you withheld food. Although you were a powerful man, owning land, an honored man living on it, you sent widows away empty-handed, and the arms of the orphans you crushed. That is why snares surround you, and why sudden fear terrifies you, why it is so dark you cannot see, and why a flood of water covers you. “Is not God on high in heaven? And see the lofty stars, how high they are! But you have said,‘What does God know? Does he judge through such deep darkness? Thick clouds are a veil for him, so he does not see us, as he goes back and forth in the vault of heaven.’ Will you keep to the old path that evil men have walked– men who were carried off before their time, when the flood was poured out on their foundations? They were saying to God,‘Turn away from us,’ and‘What can the Almighty do to us?’ But it was he who filled their houses with good things– yet the counsel of the wicked was far from me. The righteous see their destruction and rejoice; the innocent mock them scornfully, saying, ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed, and fire consumes their wealth.’ “Reconcile yourself with God, and be at peace with him; in this way your prosperity will be good. Accept instruction from his mouth and store up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; if you remove wicked behavior far from your tent, and throw your gold in the dust– your gold of Ophir among the rocks in the ravines– then the Almighty himself will be your gold, and the choicest silver for you. Surely then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and will lift up your face toward God. You will pray to him and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to him. Whatever you decide on a matter, it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. When people are brought low and you say‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast; he will deliver even someone who is not innocent, who will escape through the cleanness of your hands.””

“Can man be compared with God, even though he were of perfect knowledge? What doth it profit God if thou be just? or what dost thou give him if thy way be unspotted? Shall he reprove thee for fear, and come with thee into judgment: And not for thy manifold wickedness and thy infinite iniquities? For thou hast taken away the pledge of thy brethren without cause, and stripped them naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary, thou hast withdrawn bread from the hungry. In the strength of thy arm thou didst possess the land, and being the most mighty thou holdest it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless thou hast broken in pieces. Therefore art thou surrounded with snares, and sudden fear troubleth thee. And didst thou think that thou shouldst not see darkness, and that thou shouldst not be covered with the violence of overflowing waters? Dost not thou think that God is higher than heaven, and is elevated above the height of the stars? And thou sayst: What doth God know? and he judgeth as it were through a mist. The clouds are his covert, and he doth not consider our things, and he walketh about the poles of heaven. Dost thou desire to keep the path of ages, which wicked men have spurned? Who were taken away before their time, and a flood hath overthrown their foundation. Who said to God: Depart from us: and looked upon the Almighty as if he could do nothing: Whereas he had filled their houses with good things: whose way of thinking be far from me. The just shall see, and shall rejoice, and the innocent shall laugh them to scorn. Is not their exaltation cut down, and hath not fire devoured the remnants of them? Submit thyself then to him, and be at peace: and thereby thou shalt have the best fruits. Receive the law of his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart. If thou wilt return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, and shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacle. He shall give for earth flint, and for flint torrents of gold. And the Almighty shall be against thy enemies, and silver shall be heaped together for thee. Then shalt thou abound in delights in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face to God. Thou shalt pray to him, and he will hear thee, and thou shalt pay vows. Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall come to thee, and light shall shine in thy ways. For he that hath been humbled, shall be in glory: and he that shall bow down his eyes, he shall be saved. The innocent shall be saved, and he shall be saved by the cleanness of his hands. ”

“Is it possible for a man to be of profit to God? No, for a man's wisdom is only of profit to himself. Is it of any interest to the Ruler of all that you are upright? or is it of use to him that your ways are without sin? Is it because you give him honour that he is sending punishment on you and is judging you? Is not your evil-doing great? and there is no end to your sins. For you have taken your brother's goods when he was not in your debt, and have taken away the clothing of those who have need of it. You do not give water to the tired traveller, and from him who has no food you keep back bread. For it was the man with power who had the land, and the man with an honoured name who was living in it. You have sent widows away without hearing their cause, and you have taken away the support of the child who has no father. For this cause nets are round your feet, and you are overcome with sudden fear. Your light is made dark so that you are unable to see, and you are covered by a mass of waters. Is not God as high as heaven? and see the stars, how high they are! And you say, What knowledge has God? is he able to give decisions through the deep dark? Thick clouds are covering him, so that he is unable to see; and he is walking on the arch of heaven. Will you keep the old way by which evil men went? Who were violently taken away before their time, who were overcome by the rush of waters: Who said to God, Go away from us; and, What is the Ruler of all able to do to us? Though he made their houses full of good things: but the purpose of the evil-doers is far from me! The upright saw it and were glad: and those who had done no wrong made sport of them, Saying, Truly, their substance is cut off, and their wealth is food for the fire. Put yourself now in a right relation with him and be at peace: so will you do well in your undertakings. Be pleased to take teaching from his mouth, and let his words be stored up in your heart. If you come back to the Ruler of all, making yourself low before him; if you put evil far away from your tents; And put your gold in the dust, even your gold of Ophir among the rocks of the valleys; Then the Ruler of all will be your gold, and his teaching will be your silver; For then you will have delight in the Ruler of all, and your face will be lifted up to God. You will make your prayer to him, and be answered; and you will give effect to your oaths. Your purposes will come about, and light will be shining on your ways. For God makes low those whose hearts are lifted up, but he is a saviour to the poor in spirit. He makes safe the man who is free from sin, and if your hands are clean, salvation will be yours.”

“Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment? Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee; Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee. Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are! And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud? Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them? Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn. Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands. ”