Job 22:2-13
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 22
2'Can a strong man be of use to God, Or a wise one be useful to himself? 3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or gain if you make your ways blameless? 4Is it because of your reverence that He punishes you, That He enters into judgment against you? 5Is your wickedness not abundant, And is there no end to your guilty deeds? 6For you have seized pledges from your brothers without cause, And stripped people naked. 7You have given the weary no water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. 8But the earth belongs to the powerful man, And the one who is honorable dwells on it. 9You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of orphans has been crushed. 10Therefore traps surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you, 11Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And a flood of water covers you. 12'Is God not in the height of heaven? Look also at the highest stars, how high they are! 13But you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the thick darkness?King James Version
Christian Standard Bible
3Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous? Does he profit if you perfect your behavior?
4Does he correct you and take you to court because of your piety?
5Isn’t your wickedness abundant and aren’t your iniquities endless?
6For you took collateral from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked.
7You gave no water to the thirsty and withheld food from the famished,
8while the land belonged to a powerful man and an influential man lived on it.
9You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
10Therefore snares surround you, and sudden dread terrifies you,
New Living Translation
Chapter 22
2'Can a person do anything to help God? Can even a wise person be helpful to him? 3Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect? 4Is it because you’re so pious that he accuses you and brings judgment against you? 5No, it’s because of your wickedness! There’s no limit to your sins.
6'For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone.
7You must have refused water for the thirsty and food for the hungry.
8You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it!
9You must have sent widows away empty-handed and crushed the hopes of orphans.
10That is why you are surrounded by traps and tremble from sudden fears.
11That is why you cannot see in the darkness, and waves of water cover you.
English Standard Version
Chapter 22
2 "Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. 3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? 4Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you? 5Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities. 6For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing. 7You have given no water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. 8 The man with power possessed the land, and the favored man lived in it. 9You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. 10Therefore snares are all around you, and sudden terror overwhelms you, 11or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. 12"Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are! 13But you say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness?New International Version
3What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
4"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you and brings charges against you?
5Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless?
6You demanded security from your relatives for no reason; you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
7You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry,
8though you were a powerful man, owning land— an honored man, living on it.
9And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.
10That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you,
New King James Version