Job 15
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
And Eliphaz the Temanite answers and says:
2 “Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
“Does a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill his belly [with] an east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
To reason with a word not useful? And speeches—no profit in them?
4 Yes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
Indeed, you make reverence void, and diminish meditation before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
For your mouth teaches your iniquity, And you choose the tongue of the cunning.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I. Yes, your own lips testify against you.
Your mouth declares you wicked, and not I, And your lips testify against you.
7 “Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought out before the hills?
Are you the first man born? And were you formed before the heights?
8 Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
Do you hear of the secret counsel of God? And withdraw wisdom to you?
9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand which is not in us?
What have you known, and we do not know? [What] do you understand, and it is not with us?
10 With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much older than your father.
Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us—Greater than your father [in] days.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle toward you?
Are the comforts of God too few for you? And a gentle word [is] with you,
12 Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
Why does your heart take you away? And why are your eyes high?
13 that you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
Do you turn your spirit against God? And have brought out words from your mouth:
14 What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?
15 Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
Behold, He puts no credence in His holy ones, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.
16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
Also—surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking perverseness as water.
17 “I will show you, listen to me; that which I have seen I will declare
I show you—listen to me—And this I have seen and declare,
18 (which wise men have told by their fathers, and have not hidden it;
Which the wise declare—And have not hid—from their fathers.
19 to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them):
To them alone was the land given, And a stranger did not pass over into their midst:
20 the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
All [the] days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer will come on him.
A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace a destroyer comes to him.
22 He does not believe that he will return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword.
He does not believe to return from darkness, And he watches 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 is wandering for bread: Where [is] it? He has known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.
24 Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
Adversity and distress terrify him, They prevail over him as a king ready for a boaster.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,
For he stretched out his hand against God, And against the Mighty he makes himself mighty.
26 he runs at him with a stiff neck, with the thick shields of his bucklers,
He runs to Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.
27 because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs.
For he has covered his face with his fat, And makes vigor over [his] confidence.
28 He has lived in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
And he inhabits cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.
29 He will not be rich, neither will his substance continue, neither will their possessions be extended on the earth.
He is not rich, nor does his wealth rise, Nor does he stretch out their continuance on earth.
30 He will not depart out of darkness. The flame will dry up his branches. He will go away by the breath of God’s mouth.
He does not turn aside from darkness, A flame dries up his tender branch, And he turns aside at the breath of His mouth!
31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his reward.
Do not let him put credence in vanity, He has been deceived, For vanity is his exchange.
32 It will be accomplished before his time. His branch will not be green.
It is not completed in his day, And his bending branch is not green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and will cast off his flower as the olive tree.
He shakes off his unripe fruit as a vine, And casts off his blossom as an olive.
34 For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
For the company of the profane [is] barren, And fire has consumed tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart prepares deceit.”
