Job 22:6-9 - Compare All Versions

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You demanded security from your relatives for no reason; you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked. You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry, though you were a powerful man, owning land— an honored man, living on it. And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless.

For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing and stripped the naked of their clothing. You have given no water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. The man with power possessed the land, and the favored man lived in it. You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.

“For example, you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone. You must have refused water for the thirsty and food for the hungry. You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it! You must have sent widows away empty-handed and crushed the hopes of orphans.

For you took collateral  from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked. You gave no water to the thirsty and withheld food from the famished,  while the land belonged to a powerful man and an influential man lived on it. You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless  was   crushed.

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.

For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing. You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it. You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.

Once again Eliphaz the Temanite took up his theme: “Are any of us strong enough to give God a hand, or smart enough to give him advice? So what if you were righteous—would God Almighty even notice? Even if you gave a perfect performance, do you think he’d applaud? Do you think it’s because he cares about your purity that he’s disciplining you, putting you on the spot? Hardly! It’s because you’re a first-class moral failure, because there’s no end to your sins. When people came to you for help, you took the shirts off their backs, exploited their helplessness. You wouldn’t so much as give a drink to the thirsty, or food, not even a scrap, to the hungry. And there you sat, strong and honored by everyone, surrounded by immense wealth! You turned poor widows away from your door; heartless, you crushed orphans. Now you’re the one trapped in terror, paralyzed by fear. Suddenly the tables have turned! How do you like living in the dark, sightless, up to your neck in flood waters?

“For you have seized pledges from your brothers without cause, And stripped people naked. “You have given the weary no water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. “But the earth belongs to the powerful man, And the one who is honorable dwells on it. “You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of orphans has been crushed.

“For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause, And stripped men naked. “You have not given water to the weary to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. [Matt 25:42] “But the land is possessed by the man with power, And the favored and honorable man dwells in it. “You have sent widows away empty-handed, And the arms (strength) of the fatherless have been broken.

“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.