Paraphrase on the Book of Job, Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII.
1. ELiphaz the Temanite, being1. Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and said: now to speake according to course, falleth the third time upon Job, and saith,
2. Granting that thou art righteous2. Can a man be profitable unto God, as hee that is wise may be profitable unto himselfe? as thou saiest, yet thou takest a wonderfull fond course thus to glory in it, and plead it unto God, thereby to bind him to thee, seeing a mans being so, addes nothing to him, it profits him nothing, though it doe the owner, who in godly wisedome hath obtained to be so.
3. Not a jot of benefit God reaps3. Is it any pleasure to the Allmighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gaine to him that thou makest thy waies perfect? by it, nay, hee is so farre from being a gainer by thy pleading the perfection of thy waies, as that thou makest him thereby suffer in his justice, and by pleading thy righteousnesse, makest him unrighteous.
4. If hee punish thee not for sinne,4. Will hee reprove thee for feare of thee? Will hee enter with thee into judgement? what then doth he plague thee for? Is it for feare that in time thou mayest grow so over good, that he cannot reward thee, or so over great, that hee cannot command thee? thinkest thou he hath need to take such course with thee for any such cause?
5. Man, never speake more of it;5. Is not thy wickednesse great, and thine iniquities infinite? God is just, and so are his waies, and therefore, as thy punishments are great and extraordinary, so certainly are thy sinnes.
6. For it must needs be, that however6. For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. thou hast carried things cunningly, and wee cannot so easily detect thy faults, yet doubtlesse thou hast beene extremely too blame, and thy waies very wicked; wouldst thou but consider and confesse them. For no doubt, what ever thou saiest to the contrary, but thou hast been a great oppressour of the poore, and a greedy griper, thou hast questionlesse uncharitably taken, and unjustly detained thy poore brothers pledge to his great damage, and by thy cruell usage, hast extremely impoverished them.
7. And as thou hast beene an evilldoer7. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drinke, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. in the waies of injury and violence, so also doubtlesse thou hast been backeward to doe any good or charitable worke, thou hast not relieved the needy.
8. But all thy aime and care was,8. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth, and the honourable man dwelt in it. to make thy selfe mighty, rich, and honourable here on earth, and therefore all thy labour was to ingrosse it to thy selfe from others.
9. Thou hast disappointed the9. Thou hast sent widdowes away empty, and the armes of the fatherlesse have been broken. poore widowes hope, and hast not righted her upon her wrong-doers, and thou hast suffered the fatherlesse to be crushed, and hast not afforded them succour when they relied upon, and trusted to thee for it.
10. Therefore it is, and for no other10. Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden feare troubleth thee. cause, that thou art thus plagued on all hands, these workes and waies of thine, are they that have brought thee into this condition, thus to be captivated, and all at once suddenly surprized with such fearefull miseries.
11. Yea, into worse than the plagues11. Or darknesse that thou canst not see, and abundance of waters cover thee. themselves, even into blindnesse and confusion of minde; so as that thou canst neither see what brought thee into them, nor how to finde the way out, but art as a man under water amuzed in these thy afflictions, not knowing which way to take, nor what to doe to helpe thy selfe.
12. Is not God infinitely higher and12. Is not God in the height of heavens? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are. more full of light to see and discerne, than any of his creatures? consider how high the starres are, and how far distant from thee, and yet they shine downe to thee.
13. Much more does God see thee,13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can hee judge through the darke cloud? and know thy waies and workes; yet such is thy hypocrisie and security, that because we who are but men, cannot easily detect thee; therefore, thou thinkest, and thy behaviour speakes as much, that God can see no evill neither by thee; and because thou canst not see him through the clouds that are over thy head, therefore thou thinkest hee cannot see nor take notice of thee through them.
14. And that his sight is not cleare14. Thicke clouds are a covering to him that hee seeth not, and hee walketh in the circuit of heaven. enough to see through such a medium, but that thou art safe enough from his eyes who hath so many thicke and darke clouds betweene thee and him, and who dwells at such a distance from thee, as is heaven from earth, where it seemes thou thinkest he only manages matters, and beares rule, and not here.
15. Hast thou observed the waies15. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have troden? of the wicked, and the course that God hath of old wont to take with them?
16. Dost thou confesse, how they16. Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflowne with a flood. have been cut short of their aimes and hopes by an untimely end, and how the foundations which they have laid of riches and honour, have beene at last wasted away with sudden destruction and ruine, as of old by the floud?
17. Even such, as thou sayest, say17. Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Allmighty doe for them? to God, keepe thy Lawes to thy selfe, for we'll not obey them, and what care we for what he can doe to us, that expect no good from him, nor feare no hurt?
18. And thou knowest its true too,18. Yet he silled their houses with good things, but the counsell of the wicked is farre from me. that once hee filled their houses with good things, and plenty of them; and now, how canst thou so confidently and securely exempt thy selfe from their condition, and thy waies from theirs, seeing thou sharest in their plagues?
19. For the righteous are free from19. The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorne. such things, what ever thou sayest to the contrary; they live to see the justice of God executed upon the wicked, and rejoyce therein, laughing at their folly for taking such waies, which they knew long before would have such an end and issue.
20. Whereas wee that have beene20. Whereas our substance is not cut downe, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth. content with a little, got in an honest godly way, enjoy it still in peace; but as for proud oppressours, and greedy gripers, rise they never so high, wrath shall quite ruine them at last.
21. But now therefore, thou for thy21. Acquaint now thy selfe with him, and be at peace, thereby good shall come unto thee. part, though thou hast been a stranger to the waies of God, yet stand not out still in rebellion, but come in and make thy peace by confessing thy guiltinesse, and acknowledging him just, cav…lling no longer at his dealings; and so shalt thou receive good for evil, and find mercy to relieve thee in thy distresse.
22. I pray thee as a friend, goe not22. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. on presumptuously, but humble thy selfe for thy former sinnes, and promise amendment; covenant to keepe his Commandements which thou hast broken, and to frame both thy heart and life thereby for hereafter.
23. If thus thou repent and turne to23. If thou returne to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy Tabernacles. the Lord, feare not but that hee both can, and will repaire thee, and so shalt thou put away sin, and the plagues and punishment that sin hath brought upon thee, farre from thee and thine.
24. Then shalt thou have thy desire;24. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brookes. for thou shalt be rich with content, which is worth a million.
25. Yea, the All-mighty himselfe25. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence (or as in the margin, thy gold) and thou shalt have plenty of silver. in his love and favour, shall be thy riches and treasure, so that thou shalt thinke thy selfe happier and richer than gold or silver can make thee.
26. For thou shalt then have that26. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. which is worth, and better worth than all, to wit, peace toward God, and the comfortable enjoyment of his grace and favour toward thee, which shall make thee with an holy boldnesse to looke God in the face without feare.
27. Thou shalt then be able cheerfully27. Thou shalt make thy praier unto him, and he shall heare thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. to addresse thy selfe to him in prayer, and shalt receive his gratious answers to thine infinite solace; so that thou shalt have continuall cause and exercise of thanksgiving.
28. Yea, thou shalt but say the28. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy waies. word, and it shall be done; such power shalt thou have with God, who shall in favour to thee, approve of all thy waies, and they shall prosper.
29. When other men are cast29. When men are cast downe, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up: and hee shall save the humble person. downe as thou art now, then shalt thou be able to speake to them, and to God for them, and both to warrant and procure the delivery of the penitent person out of his afflictions.
30. Nay the humble and upright30. Hee shall deliver the Island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the purenesse of thine hands. man who does righteously, and lives holily, shall not onelyonly prevaile for one, but for a many, yea, the whole land or place where hee lives shall fare the better for him. Thy good life and pure prayers when thou art such an one, shall for thy sake doe much with God for all the rest, in working their deliverance from many an evill, which would else befall them.