Agree with God, and be at peace: Agree translates a verb which is used in various forms with different meanings. Here it has the meaning “to become familiar with, to be reconciled with,” and therefore Good News Translation “stop treating him like an enemy.” New Jerusalem Bible translates “be reconciled.” The Hebrew has “with him,” but God is clearly meant, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Some translations shift be at peace to the beginning of the line, to be followed by Agree with, and so New Jerusalem Bible has “Make peace with him, be reconciled.” This line may also be rendered, for example, “Make peace and be friends with God,” “Make friends and be at peace with God,” or idiomatically, “Eat from one bowl with God and let your heart rest with his.”

Thereby good will come to you: the Hebrew is difficult. Good News Translation has taken it in the sense of blessing: “if you do, then he will bless you.” The Hebrew has “by them,” probably referring to the two commands in the previous line, “be at peace” and “be reconciled.” Dhorme changes some vowels in the word rendered will come to you and gets “gain, profit, yield (of the land)”; he translates “By this means your yield will be good!” This makes a mockery of Job’s true problem and shows Eliphaz to be a merciless materialist, which may well be true. Translators interpret the word translated good by Revised Standard Version as “happiness, good fortune, wealth,” which Good News Translation shifts to the verb “bless.” In many languages it will be preferable to use a verb phrase in an active construction; for example, “and so God will give you happiness (wealth, good fortune).”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .