Job 15
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and said,
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
2 Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
Should a wise man answer with arguments of wind, Or fill his bosom with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
Should he argue with speech that helpeth him not, And with words which do not profit him?
4 Yea, thou do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
Behold, thou makest the fear of God a vain thing, And discouragest prayer before him.
5 For thine iniquity teaches thy mouth. And thou choose the tongue of the crafty.
Yea, thy own mouth proclaimeth thy iniquity, Though thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thine own mouth condemns thee, and not I. Yes, thine own lips testify against thee.
Thy own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Thy own lips testify against thee.
7 Are thou the first man who was born? Or were thou brought forth before the hills?
Art thou the first man that was born? Wast thou formed before the hills?
8 Have thou heard the secret counsel of God? And do thou limit wisdom to thyself?
Hast thou listened in the council of God, And drawn all wisdom to thyself?
9 What do thou know, that we do not know? What do thou understand, which is not in us?
What dost thou know, that we know not also? What dost thou understand, that is a secret to us?
10 With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much older than thy father.
With us are the aged and hoary-headed; Much older than thy father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for thee, even the word that is gentle toward thee?
Dost thou despise the consolations of God, And words so full of kindness to thee?
12 Why does thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,
Why hath thy passion taken possession of thee? And why this winking of thine eyes?
13 that against God thou turn thy spirit, and let words go out of thy mouth?
For against God hast thou turned thy spirit, And uttered such words from thy mouth.
14 What is man, that he should be clean? And he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What is man, that he should be pure, And he that is born of woman, that he should be innocent?
15 Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
Behold, He putteth no trust in his ministering spirits, And the heavens are not pure in his sight;
16 How much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
Much less, abominable and polluted man, Who drinketh iniquity as water.
17 I will show thee. Hear thou me, and that which I have seen I will declare,
Hear me, and I will show thee, And that which I have seen will I declare;
18 which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it,
Which the wise men have told, And not kept concealed, as received from their fathers;
19 to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them:
To whom alone the land was given, And among whom not a stranger wandered.
20 The wicked man travails with pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
“All his days the wicked man is in pain; Yea, all the years, that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
A fearful sound is in his ears; In peace the destroyer cometh upon him.
22 He does not believe that he shall return out of darkness. And he is awaited by the sword.
He hath no hope that he shall escape from darkness; He is set apart for the sword.
23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
He wandereth about, seeking bread; He knoweth that a day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him as a king ready to the battle.
Distress and anguish fill him with dread; They prevail against him like a king ready for the battle.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty.
Because he stretched forth his hand against God, And bade defiance to the Almighty,
26 He runs upon him with a stiff neck, with the thick studs of his bucklers,
And ran against him with outstretched neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;
27 because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat upon his loins.
Because he covered his face with fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins,
28 And he has dwelt in desolate cities, in houses which no man inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
And dwelt in desolated cities, In houses which no man inhabiteth, That are ready to become heaps.
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
He shall not be rich; his substance shall not endure, And his possessions shall not be extended upon the earth.
30 He shall not depart out of darkness. The flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of God's mouth he shall go away.
He shall not escape from darkness, And the flame shall dry up his branches; Yea, by the breath of His mouth shall he be taken away.
31 Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself. For vanity shall be his recompense.
“Let not man trust in vanity! he will be deceived; For vanity shall be his recompense.
32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
He shall come to his end before his time, And his branch shall not be green.
33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive tree.
He shall shake off his unripe fruit like the vine, And shed his blossoms like the olive-tree.
34 For the company of the hypocrites shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
The house of the unrighteous shall be famished, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, and their heart prepares deceit.
They conceive mischief, and bring forth misery, And their breast deviseth deceit.”
