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 answer with useless 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.
Indeed, you diminish respect for God; you obstruct devotion to him,
5 For thy iniquity hath taught thy mouth, and thou imitatest the tongue of blasphemers.
for your iniquity teaches your mouth; you choose to have the tongue of a crafty man.
6 Thy own mouth shall condemn thee, and not I: and thy own lips shall answer thee.
Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; indeed, your own lips testify against you.
7 Art thou the first man that was born, or wast thou made before the hills?
Are you the first man that was born? Were you brought into existence before the hills?
8 Hast thou heard God’s counsel, and shall his wisdom be inferior to thee?
Have you heard the secret knowledge of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What knowest thou that we are ignorant of? what dost thou understand that we know not?
What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not also 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 who are much older than your 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 you, the words that are gentle toward you?
12 Why doth thy heart elevate thee, and why dost thou stare with thy eyes, as if they were thinking great things?
Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
13 Why doth thy spirit swell against God, to utter such words 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 without spot, and he that is born of a woman that he should appear just?
What is man that he should be clean? What is 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.
See, God puts no trust even in his holy ones; indeed, 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 clean is 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 you; listen to me; I will announce to you the things I have seen,
18 Wise men confess and hide not their fathers.
the things that wise men have passed down from their fathers, the things that their ancestors did not hide.
19 To whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger hath passed among them.
These were their ancestors, to whom alone the land was given, and among whom no stranger ever passed.
20 The wicked man is proud all his days, and the number of the years of his tyranny is uncertain.
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 dread is always in his ears: and when there is peace, he always suspecteth treason.
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 may return from darkness to light, looking round about for the sword on every side.
He does not think that he will return out of darkness; the sword waits for him.
23 When he moveth himself to seek bread, 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 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 for battle.
25 For he hath stretched out his hand against God, and hath strengthened himself against the Almighty.
Because he has reached out with his hand against God and has behaved proudly against the Almighty,
26 He hath run against him with his neck raised up, and is armed with a fat neck.
this wicked man runs at God with a stiff neck, with a thick shield.
27 Fatness hath covered his face, and the fat hangeth down on his sides.
This is true, even though he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat on his loins,
28 He hath dwelt in desolate cities, and in desert houses that are reduced into 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 be enriched, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he push his root in 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 he shall be taken away by the breath of his own month.
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 He shall not believe, being vainly deceived by error, that he may be redeemed with any price.
Let him not trust in useless things, deceiving himself; for uselessness will be his reward.
32 Before his days be full he shall perish: and his hands shall wither away.
It will happen before his time should come to die; his branch will 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 will drop his unripe grapes like a grapevine; he will cast off his flowers like 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 godless people will be barren; fire will consume their tents of bribery.
35 He hath conceived sorrow, and hath brought forth iniquity, and his womb prepareth deceits.
They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity; their womb conceives deceit.”
