Job 15
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
And Eliphaz the Temanite answers and says:
2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
“Does a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill his belly [with] an east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches with which he can do no good?
To reason with a word not useful? And speeches—no profit in them?
4 Yes, you cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God.
Indeed, you make reverence void, and diminish meditation before God.
5 For your mouth utters your iniquity, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
For your mouth teaches your iniquity, And you choose the tongue of the cunning.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I: yes, your own lips testify against you.
Your mouth declares you wicked, and not I, And your lips testify against you.
7 Are you the first man that was born? or were you made before the hills?
Are you the first man born? And were you formed before the heights?
8 Have you heard the secret of God? and do you restrain wisdom to yourself?
Do you hear of the secret counsel of God? And withdraw wisdom to you?
9 What know you, that we know not? what understand you, which is not in us?
What have you known, and we do not know? [What] do you understand, and it is not with us?
10 With us are both the gray headed and very aged men, much elder than your father.
Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us—Greater than your father [in] days.
11 Are the consolations of God small with you? is there any secret thing with you?
Are the comforts of God too few for you? And a gentle word [is] with you,
12 Why does your heart carry you away? and what do your eyes wink at,
Why does your heart take you away? And why are your eyes high?
13 That you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
Do you turn your spirit against God? And have brought out words from your mouth:
14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?
15 Behold, he puts no trust in his saints; yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
Behold, He puts no credence in His holy ones, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.
16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinks iniquity like water?
Also—surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking perverseness as water.
17 I will show you, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;
I show you—listen to me—And this I have seen and declare,
18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:
Which the wise declare—And have not hid—from their fathers.
19 To whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.
To them alone was the land given, And a stranger did not pass over into their midst:
20 The wicked man travails with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
All [the] days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.
21 A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come on him.
A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace a destroyer comes to him.
22 He believes not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.
He does not believe to return from darkness, And he watches for the sword.
23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
He is wandering for bread: Where [is] it? He has known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.
24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
Adversity and distress terrify him, They prevail over him as a king ready for a boaster.
25 For he stretches out his hand against God, and strengthens himself against the Almighty.
For he stretched out his hand against God, And against the Mighty he makes himself mighty.
26 He runs on him, even on his neck, on the thick bosses of his bucklers:
He runs to Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.
27 Because he covers his face with his fatness, and makes bulges of fat on his flanks.
For he has covered his face with his fat, And makes vigor over [his] confidence.
28 And he dwells in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabits, which are ready to become heaps.
And he inhabits cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof on the earth.
He is not rich, nor does his wealth rise, Nor does he stretch out their continuance 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 does not turn aside from darkness, A flame dries up his tender branch, And he turns aside at the breath of His mouth!
31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompense.
Do not let him put credence in vanity, He has been deceived, For vanity is his exchange.
32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
It is not completed in his day, And his bending branch is not green.
33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
He shakes off his unripe fruit as a vine, And casts off his blossom as an olive.
34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
For the company of the profane [is] barren, And fire has consumed tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepares deceit.
To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart prepares deceit.”
