1Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme:
2"Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand, or smart enough to give him advice?
3So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice? Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think he'd applaud?
4Do you think it's because he cares about your purity that he's disciplining you, putting you on the spot?
5Hardly! It's because you're a first-class moral failure, because there's no end to your sins.
6When people came to you for help, you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness.
7You wouldn't so much as give a drink to the thirsty, or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry.
8And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone, surrounded by immense wealth!
9You turned poor widows away from your door; heartless, you crushed orphans.
10Now you're the one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear. Suddenly the tables have turned!
11How do you like living in the dark, sightless, up to your neck in flood waters?
12"You agree, don't you, that God is in charge? He runs the universe—just look at the stars!
13Yet you dare raise questions: 'What does God know? From that distance and darkness, how can he judge?
14He roams the heavens wrapped in clouds, so how can he see us?'
15"Are you going to persist in that tired old line that wicked men and women have always used?
16Where did it get them? They died young, flash floods sweeping them off to their doom.
17They told God, 'Get lost! What good is God Almighty to us?'
18And yet it was God who gave them everything they had. It's beyond me how they can carry on like this!
19"Good people see bad people crash, and call for a celebration. Relieved, they crow,
20'At last! Our enemies—wiped out. Everything they had and stood for is up in smoke!'
21"Give in to God, come to terms with him and everything will turn out just fine.
22Let him tell you what to do; take his words to heart.
23Come back to God Almighty and he'll rebuild your life. Clean house of everything evil.
24Relax your grip on your money and abandon your gold-plated luxury.
25God Almighty will be your treasure, more wealth than you can imagine.
26"You'll take delight in God, the Mighty One, and look to him joyfully, boldly.
27You'll pray to him and he'll listen; he'll help you do what you've promised.
28You'll decide what you want and it will happen; your life will be bathed in light.
29To those who feel low you'll say, 'Chin up! Be brave!' and God will save them.
30Yes, even the guilty will escape, escape through God's grace in your life."