Job 15
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
Then answered Eliphaz the Themanite, and said,
2 Should a wise man make answer with windy knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
Should a wise man utter windy knowledge, and fill his inward parts with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
Should he reason with a speech which availeth nothing? and with words in which there is no profit?
4 Yea, thou doest away with fear, and impairest devotion before God.
Yea, thou truly makest void the fear [of God], and diminishest devotion before God.
5 For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
For thy iniquity teacheth thy mouth, so that thou choosest the language of the crafty.
6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
Thy own mouth must condemn thee, but not I: yea, thy own lips will testify against thee.
7 Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
Wast thou born as the first man? or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
8 Dost thou hearken in the council of God? And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?
Hast thou listened to the secret counsel of God? and is wisdom therefore of little esteem with thee?
9 What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?
What knowest thou, that we do not know? what understandest thou, which is not with us?
10 With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much older than thy father.
Both the grayheaded and the very aged are among us, — richer than thy father in days.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for thee, and the word that dealeth gently with thee?
Are the divine consolations too little for thee? and the word that was so mild with thee?
12 Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes wink?
Whither doth thy heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes gaze at?
13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth.
That thou shouldst turn against God thy spirit, and utter [such] words out of thy mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What is man, that he should be pure? and that he who is born of woman should be declared righteous?
15 Behold, He putteth no trust in His holy ones; yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight.
Behold, in his holy ones he putteth no trust; and the heavens are not pure in his eyes:
16 How much less one that is abominable and impure, man who drinketh iniquity like water!
How much more then the abominable and corrupt, the man who drinketh like water wrong-doing?
17 I will tell thee, hear thou me; and that which I have seen I will declare —
I will instruct thee, hear me; and what I have seen will I relate;
18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it;
Which wise men have ever told, and have not concealed, as they obtained it from their fathers;
19 Unto whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them.
Unto whom alone the earth was given, and into whose midst no stranger ever entered.
20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
All his days is the wicked plagued with pain, and the number of years which are laid by for the tyrant.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
A sound of terrors is in his ears: during peace will the waster come over him.
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is looked for by the sword.
23 He wandereth abroad for bread: 'Where is it?' He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying, ] Where is it? he knoweth that there is ready at his hand the day of darkness.
24 Distress and anguish overwhelm him; they prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
Distress and anguish terrify him: they assail him with might, as a king prepared for the battle.
25 Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, and behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;
Because he had stretched out against God his hand, and strengthened himself against the Almighty;
26 He runneth upon him with a stiff neck, with the thick bosses of his bucklers.
[And] he had run against him, with an [extended] neck, with the thick roundings of his bucklers;
27 Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, and made collops of fat on his loins;
Because he had covered his face with his fat, and had made thick folds of fat on his flanks;
28 And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, in houses which no man would inhabit, which were ready to become heaps.
And he dwelt in abandoned cities, in houses which none inhabited, which were destined to be ruinous heaps.
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their produce bend to the earth.
[Yet] will he not remain rich, neither will his wealth endure, nor will he attain their perfection on earth.
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 never depart out of darkness: the flame shall dry up his shoots, and he will depart by the breath of God's mouth.
31 Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; for vanity shall be his recompense.
Let him that goeth astray not trust in vanity; for vanity will be what he obtaineth thereby.
32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be leafy.
Even before his time will it be overfull, and his branches will not be green.
33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
He will shake off like the vine his unripe grapes, and cast off like the olive his blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
For the assembly of hypocrites will remain desolate, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
They conceive trouble, and bring forth wrong-doing, and their body prepareth deceit.
