Job 22:17

Easy-to-Read Version

They told God, ‘Leave us alone!' and said, ‘God All-Powerful cannot do anything to us!'

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They were the ones who said to God, “Leave us alone!”and “What can the Almighty do to us?”

Hebrew Names Version
Who said to God, 'Depart from us;' And, 'What can Shaddai do for us?'

King James Version
Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?

English Standard Version
They said to God, ‘Depart from us,' and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?'

New Century Version
They said to God, ‘Leave us alone! The Almighty can do nothing to us.'

New English Translation
They were saying to God, ‘Turn away from us,' and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?'

Amplified Bible
"They said to God, 'Depart from us! What can the Almighty do for us or to us?'

New American Standard Bible
"They said to God, 'Go away from us!' And 'What can the Almighty do to them?'

World English Bible
Who said to God, 'Depart from us;' And, 'What can the Almighty do for us?'

Geneva Bible (1587)
Which sayd vnto God, Depart from vs, & asked what the Almightie could do for them.

Legacy Standard Bible
They said to God, ‘Depart from us!'And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?'

Berean Standard Bible
They said to God, 'Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?'

Contemporary English Version
They rejected God All-Powerful, feeling he was helpless,

Complete Jewish Bible
They said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can Shaddai do to us?'

Darby Translation
Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?

George Lamsa Translation
Who said to God, Depart from us; what can God do for us?

Good News Translation
These are the ones who rejected God and believed that he could do nothing to them.

Lexham English Bible
Those who said to God, ‘Turn away from us,' and ‘What can Shaddai do to us?'

Literal Translation
who said to God, Depart from us; and, What can the Almighty do to them?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
which saye vnto God: go from vs, and after this maner: Tush, what wil the Allmightie do vnto vs?

American Standard Version
Who said unto God, Depart from us; And, What can the Almighty do for us?

Bible in Basic English
Who said to God, Go away from us; and, What is the Ruler of all able to do to us?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Who said unto God: 'Depart from us'; and what could the Almighty do unto them?

King James Version (1611)
Which said vnto God, Depart from vs, and what can the Almightie doe for them?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Whiche sayd vnto God, Go from vs: and asked what the almightie coulde do for them?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Who say, What will the Lord do to us? or what will the Almighty bring upon us?

English Revised Version
Who said unto God, Depart from us; and, What can the Almighty do for us?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whiche seiden to God, Go thou awei fro vs; and as if Almyyti God may do no thing, thei gessiden hym,

Update Bible Version
Who said to God, Depart from us; And, What can the Almighty do for us?

Webster's Bible Translation
Who said to God, depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them!

New King James Version
They said to God, 'Depart from us!What can the Almighty do to them?' [fn]

New Living Translation
For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?'

New Life Bible
They said to God, ‘Leave us!' and ‘What can the All-powerful do to us?'

New Revised Standard
They said to God, ‘Leave us alone,' and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Who had been saying unto GOD, Depart from us! and - What can the Almighty do for himself?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who said to God: Depart from us: and looked upon the Almighty as if he could do nothing:

Revised Standard Version
They said to God, 'Depart from us,' and 'What can the Almighty do to us?'

Young's Literal Translation
Those saying to God, `Turn aside from us,' And what doth the Mighty One to them?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"They said to God, 'Depart from us!' And 'What can the Almighty do to them?'

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ "Job, you are walking on the old path that evil people walked on long ago. ¹⁶ They were destroyed before it was their time to die. They were washed away by the flood. ¹⁷ They told God, ‘Leave us alone!' and said, ‘God All-Powerful cannot do anything to us!' ¹⁸ And it was God who filled their houses with good things. No, I would never follow the advice of evil people. ¹⁹ Those who do what is right are happy to see them destroyed. The innocent laugh at them and say, ²⁰ ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed! Their wealth burned up in the fire!'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Depart: Job 21:10, Job 21:14, Job 21:15, Isaiah 30:11, Matthew 8:29, Matthew 8:34, Romans 1:28

and what: Psalms 4:6, Malachi 3:14

for them: or, to them

Reciprocal: Genesis 25:32 - and what Job 34:9 - It Psalms 10:4 - will not Hosea 7:13 - fled Luke 15:13 - and took 2 Thessalonians 1:9 - from the presence Hebrews 3:12 - in Hebrews 7:25 - come James 3:5 - so

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people.

Genesis 13:16
I will make your people so many that they will be like the dust of the earth. If people could count all the particles of dust on earth, they could count your people.

Genesis 15:5
Then God led Abram outside and said, "Look at the sky. See the many stars. There are so many you cannot count them. Your family will be like that."

Genesis 17:6
I will give you many descendants. New nations and kings will come from you.

Genesis 22:1
After these things God decided to test Abraham's faith. God said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Yes!"

Genesis 22:2
Then God said, "Take your son to the land of Moriah and kill your son there as a sacrifice for me. This must be Isaac, your only son, the one you love. Use him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there. I will tell you which mountain."

Genesis 22:8
Abraham answered, "God himself is providing the lamb for the sacrifice, my son." So both Abraham and his son went together to that place.

Genesis 22:9
When they came to the place where God told them to go, Abraham built an altar. He carefully laid the wood on the altar. Then he tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.

Genesis 22:10
Then Abraham reached for his knife to kill his son.

Genesis 22:13
Then Abraham noticed a ram whose horns were caught in a bush. So Abraham went and took the ram. He offered it, instead of his son, as a sacrifice to God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Which said unto God, depart from us,.... Choosing not to be admonished of their sins, nor be exhorted to repentance for them, nor be instructed by him in the way of their duty, nor to attend the worship and ordinances of God, nor be under his rule and government; the same is observed by Job of wicked men, but to a different purpose; he makes this to be the language of such who were in very prosperous circumstances, and continued in them, notwithstanding their impiety; here by this Eliphaz describes such persons who were cut off, and destroyed for their wickedness, see Job 21:14;

and what can the Almighty do for them? that is, for us; for these are either the words of the wicked continued, being so self-sufficient, and full of good things, having as much, or more, than heart can wish, that they stood in no need of anything from God; nor could they imagine they should receive any profit and advantage from him, by listening to his instructions, or obeying his will; they had such low and mean thoughts of God, that he would neither do them good nor evil; they expected no good from him, and feared no ill at his hands; they ascribed all the good things they had to their own care, industry, and diligence; and when any ill befell them, they attributed it to chance, and second causes, thinking nothing of God: as these are the words of Eliphaz, they may be rendered, "what has the Almighty done to them", or "against them?" e what injury has he done them, or ill will has he shown them, that they should treat him in so contemptuous a manner? so far from it, that he has bestowed abundance of good things on them, as follows, see Jeremiah 2:5.

e ומה יפעל שדי למו "et quid fecerat omnipotens illis?" Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Which said unto God, Depart from us - Notes, Job 21:14. A very correct description of the old world. They had no wish to retain God in their knowledge. Probably Eliphaz here refers to what Job had said, Job 21:14-15. He had remarked, in describing the wicked, that they said unto God, “Depart from us,” and yet they lived prosperously. “But see,” says Eliphaz,’” a case” where they did this. It was done by the inhabitants of the world before the deluge, and their houses were filled, as you say the houses of the wicked are, with good things, but God swept them all suddenly away.”

And what can the Almighty do for them? - Margin, or,” to.” That is, they demanded what the Almighty could do for them. They did not feel their dependence on him; they did not admit that they needed his aid; they cast off all reliance on him. This whole passage is a most sarcastic retort on what Job had said in Job 21:14-15. He had affirmed that though wicked people used this language, yet that they prospered. Eliphaz takes the same language and applies it to the sinners before the deluge, and says that they expressed themselves just in this manner. The language which Job puts into the mouths of the wicked, had indeed, says Eliphaz, been used. But by whom? By those who lived in security and prosperity. “By the men before the deluge,” says he, “the race that was so wicked that it was necessary to cut them off by the flood. These are the people to whose sentiments Job appeals; these the people with whom he has sympathy!”