Job 15
1 And Eliphaz the Themanite, answered, and said:
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and said,
2 Will a wise man answer as if he were speaking in the wind, and fill his stomach with burning heat?
Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
3 Thou reprovest him by words, who is not equal to thee, and thou speakest that which is not good for thee.
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4 As much as is in thee, thou hast made void fear, and hast taken away prayers from before God.
Yea, thou do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
5 For thy iniquity hath taught thy mouth, and thou imitatest the tongue of blasphemers.
For thine iniquity teaches thy mouth. And thou choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thy own mouth shall condemn thee, and not I: and thy own lips shall answer thee.
Thine own mouth condemns thee, and not I. Yes, thine own lips testify against thee.
7 Art thou the first man that was born, or wast thou made before the hills?
Are thou the first man who was born? Or were thou brought forth before the hills?
8 Hast thou heard God’s counsel, and shall his wisdom be inferior to thee?
Have thou heard the secret counsel of God? And do thou limit wisdom to thyself?
9 What knowest thou that we are ignorant of? what dost thou understand that we know not?
What do thou know, that we do not know? What do thou understand, which is not in us?
10 There are with us also aged and ancient men, much elder than thy fathers.
With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much older than thy father.
11 Is it a great matter that God should comfort thee? but thy wicked words hinder this.
Are the consolations of God too small for thee, even the word that is gentle toward thee?
12 Why doth thy heart elevate thee, and why dost thou stare with thy eyes, as if they were thinking great things?
Why does thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,
13 Why doth thy spirit swell against God, to utter such words out of thy mouth?
that against God thou turn thy spirit, and let words go out of thy mouth?
14 What is man that he should be without spot, and he that is born of a woman that he should appear just?
What is man, that he should be clean? And he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold among his saints none is unchangeable, and the heavens are not pure in his sight.
Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
16 How much more is man abominable, and unprofitable, who drinketh iniquity like water?
How much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
17 I will shew thee, hear me: and I will tell thee what I have seen.
I will show thee. Hear thou me, and that which I have seen I will declare,
18 Wise men confess and hide not their fathers.
which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it,
19 To whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger hath passed among them.
to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them:
20 The wicked man is proud all his days, and the number of the years of his tyranny is uncertain.
The wicked man travails with pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 The sound of dread is always in his ears: and when there is peace, he always suspecteth treason.
A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
22 He believeth not that he may return from darkness to light, looking round about for the sword on every side.
He does not believe that he shall return out of darkness. And he is awaited by the sword.
23 When he moveth himself to seek bread, he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
He wanders abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Tribulation shall terrify him, and distress shall surround him, as a king that is prepared for the battle.
Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him as a king ready to the battle.
25 For he hath stretched out his hand against God, and hath strengthened himself against the Almighty.
Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty.
26 He hath run against him with his neck raised up, and is armed with a fat neck.
He runs upon him with a stiff neck, with the thick studs of his bucklers,
27 Fatness hath covered his face, and the fat hangeth down on his sides.
because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat upon his loins.
28 He hath dwelt in desolate cities, and in desert houses that are reduced into heaps.
And he has dwelt in desolate cities, in houses which no man inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
29 He shall not be enriched, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he push his root in the earth.
He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
30 He shall not depart out of darkness: the flame shall dry up his branches, and he shall be taken away by the breath of his own month.
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.
31 He shall not believe, being vainly deceived by error, that he may be redeemed with any price.
Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself. For vanity shall be his recompense.
32 Before his days be full he shall perish: and his hands shall wither away.
It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
33 He shall be blasted as a vine when its grapes are in the first flower, and as an olive tree that casteth its flower.
He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive tree.
34 For the congregation of the hypocrite is barren, and fire shall devour their tabernacles, who love to take bribes.
For the company of the hypocrites shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
35 He hath conceived sorrow, and hath brought forth iniquity, and his womb prepareth deceits.
They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, and their heart prepares deceit.
