Job 4

1 And Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said,

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and said,

2 If one says a word, will it be a weariness to you? but who is able to keep from saying what is in his mind?

If a man tries to converse with thee, will thou be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?

3 Truly, you have been a helper to others, and you have made feeble hands strong;

Behold, thou have instructed many, and thou have strengthened the weak hands.

4 He who was near to falling has been lifted up by your words, and you have given strength to bent knees.

Thy words have upheld him who was falling, and thou have made firm the feeble knees.

5 But now it has come on you and it is a weariness to you; you are touched by it and your mind is troubled.

But now it comes to thee, and thou faint. It touches thee, and thou are troubled.

6 Is not your fear of God your support, and your upright way of life your hope?

Is not thy fear of God thy confidence, the integrity of thy ways thy hope?

7 Have you ever seen destruction come to an upright man? or when were the god-fearing ever cut off?

Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?

8 What I have seen is that those by whom trouble has been ploughed, and evil planted, get the same for themselves.

According as I have seen, those who plow iniquity, and sow trouble, reap the same.

9 By the breath of God destruction takes them, and by the wind of his wrath they are cut off.

By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.

10 Though the noise of the lion and the sounding of his voice, may be loud, the teeth of the young lions are broken.

The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

11 The old lion comes to his end for need of food, and the young of the she-lion go wandering in all directions.

The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

12 A word was given to me secretly, and the low sound of it came to my ears.

Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it.

13 In troubled thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep comes on men,

In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,

14 Fear came on me and shaking, and my bones were full of trouble;

fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.

15 And a breath was moving over my face; the hair of my flesh became stiff:

Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up.

16 Something was present before me, but I was not able to see it clearly; there was a form before my eyes: a quiet voice came to my ears, saying:

It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance of it. A form was before my eyes. There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

17 May a man be upright before God? or a man be clean before his Maker?

Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker?

18 Truly, he puts no faith in his servants, and he sees error in his angels;

Behold, he puts no trust in his servants, and he charges his agents with folly.

19 How much more those living in houses of earth, whose bases are in the dust! They are crushed more quickly than an insect;

How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth!

20 Between morning and evening they are completely broken; they come to an end for ever, and no one takes note.

Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it.

21 If their tent-cord is pulled up, do they not come to an end, and without wisdom?

Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.