< Job 15 >

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
Should, a wise man, answer unreal knowledge? or fill, with the east wind, his inner man?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
Disputing with discourse that doth no good, or with speech, wherein is no profit?
4 Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
But, thou, wouldst take away reverence, and wouldst attain unto meditation before GOD.
5 For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
For thine own mouth would teach thine iniquity, and thou wouldst choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
Thine own mouth shall condemn thee, and, not I, And, thine own lips, shall testify against thee.
7 Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?
The first of mankind, wast thou born? Or, before the hills, wast thou brought forth?
8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?
In the secret council of GOD, hast thou been wont to hearken? Or canst thou attain for thyself unto wisdom?
9 What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?
What knowest thou, that we know not? [What] understandest thou, and the same, is not with us?
10 With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.
Both hoary and venerable, are among us, one mightier than thy father in days!
11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?
Too small for thee, are the consolations of GOD? or a word spoken gently with thee?
12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,
How doth thine own heart carry thee away, and how thine eyes do roll!
13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?
For thy spirit, replieth against GOD, and thou bringest forth—out of thy mouth—words!
14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What is a mortal, that he should be pure? or that righteous should be one born of a woman?
15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
Lo! in his holy ones, he putteth not confidence, and, the heavens, are not pure in his eyes:
16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
How much less when one is detested and corrupt, a man who drinketh in—like water—perversity.
17 I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;
I will tell thee—hear me, Since this I have seen, I must needs declare it.
18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:
Which, wise men, tell, and deny not [that which is] from their fathers.
19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.
To them alone, was the earth given, and no alien passed through their midst:
20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
All the days of the lawless man, he, doth writhe with pain, and, the number of years, is hidden from the tyrant;
21 A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
A noise of dreadful things, is in his ears, In prosperity, the destroyer cometh upon him;
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.
He hath no confidence to come back out of darkness, he, being destined to the power oft the sword;
23 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
A wanderer, he, for bread, [saying] Where [is it]? He knoweth that, prepared by his own hand, is the day of darkness;
24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
Distress and anguish shall startle him, It shall overpower him, like a king ready for the onset:
25 For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.
Because he had stretched out—against GOD—his hand, and, against the Almighty, had been wont to behave himself proudly;
26 He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
He used to run against him with uplifted neck, with the stout bosses of his bucklers;
27 Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.
For he had covered his face with his fatness, and had gathered a superabundance on his loins;
28 And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.
And had inhabited demolished cities, houses, wherein men would not dwell, that were destined to become heaps.
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.
He shall not be rich, nor shall his substance continue, neither shall their shadow stretch along on the 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 shall not depart out of darkness, his young branch, shall the flame dry up, and he shall depart, by the breath of his own mouth!
31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.
Let no one trust in him that—by vanity—is deceived, for, vanity, shall be his recompense;
32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
Before his day, shall it be accomplished, with, his palm-top, not covered with leaves;
33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
He shall wrong—like a vine—his sour grapes, and shall cast off—as an olive-tree—his blossom.
34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
For, the family of the impious, is unfruitful, and, a fire, hath devoured the tents of bribery;
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
Conceiving mischief, and bringing forth iniquity, yea, their inmost soul, prepareth deceit.

< Job 15 >