Job 15
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind,
“Should a wise man answer with useless knowledge and fill himself with the east wind?
3 Reasoning with unprofitable talk, and with speeches which do no good?
Should he reason with unprofitable talk or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4 Yea, thou makest piety of none effect, and restrainest meditation before God.
Indeed, you diminish respect for God; you obstruct devotion to him,
5 For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou hast chosen the tongue of the crafty.
for your iniquity teaches your mouth; you choose to have the tongue of a crafty man.
6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; and thy lips testify against thee.
Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; indeed, your own lips testify against you.
7 Art thou the first man that was born? and wast thou brought forth before the hills?
Are you the first man that was born? Were you brought into existence before the hills?
8 Hast thou listened in the secret council of God? And hast thou absorbed wisdom for thyself?
Have you heard the secret knowledge of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What knowest thou that we know not? [what] understandest thou which is not in us?
What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not also in us?
10 Both the greyheaded and the aged are with us, older than thy father.
With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men who are much older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for thee? and the word gently spoken to thee?
Are the consolations of God too small for you, the words that are gentle toward you?
12 Why doth thy heart carry thee away? and why do thine eyes wink?
Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest words go out of thy mouth?
so that you turn your spirit against God and bring out such words from your mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be pure? and he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What is man that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight:
See, God puts no trust even in his holy ones; indeed, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
16 How much less the abominable and corrupt, — man, that drinketh unrighteousness like water!
how much less clean is one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
17 I will shew thee, listen to me; and what I have seen I will declare;
I will show you; listen to me; I will announce to you the things I have seen,
18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hidden;
the things that wise men have passed down from their fathers, the things that their ancestors did not hide.
19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.
These were their ancestors, to whom alone the land was given, and among whom no stranger ever passed.
20 All his days the wicked man is tormented, and numbered years are allotted to the violent.
The wicked man twists in pain all his days, the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor to suffer.
21 The sound of terrors is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer cometh upon him.
A sound of terrors is in his ears; while he is in prosperity, the destroyer will come upon him.
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is singled out for the sword.
He does not think that he will return out of darkness; the sword waits for him.
23 He wandereth abroad for bread, — where may it be? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
He goes to various places for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish make him afraid; they prevail against him, as a king ready for the battle.
Distress and anguish make him afraid; they prevail against him, as a king ready for battle.
25 For he hath stretched out his hand against God, and strengthened himself against the Almighty:
Because he has reached out with his hand against God and has behaved proudly against the Almighty,
26 He runneth against him, with [outstretched] neck, with the thick bosses of his bucklers;
this wicked man runs at God with a stiff neck, with a thick shield.
27 For he hath covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat upon [his] flanks.
This is true, even though he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat on his loins,
28 And he dwelleth in desolate cities, in houses that no man inhabiteth, which are destined to become heaps.
and has lived in desolate cities; in houses which no man inhabits now and which were ready to become heaps.
29 He shall not become rich, neither shall his substance continue, and their possessions shall not extend upon the earth.
He will not be rich; his wealth will not last and his possessions will not spread over the land.
30 He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches; and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.
He will not depart out of darkness; a flame will dry up his stalks; at the breath of God's mouth he will go away.
31 Let him not trust in vanity: he is deceived, for vanity shall be his recompense;
Let him not trust in useless things, deceiving himself; for uselessness will be his reward.
32 It shall be complete before his day, and his branch shall not be green.
It will happen before his time should come to die; his branch will not be green.
33 He shall shake off his unripe grapes as a vine, and shall cast his flower as an olive.
He will drop his unripe grapes like a grapevine; he will cast off his flowers like the olive tree.
34 For the family of the ungodly shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
For the company of godless people will be barren; fire will consume their tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity; their womb conceives deceit.”
