Job 15
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answers and says:
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 “Does a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill his belly [with] an east wind?
Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?
3 To reason with a word not useful? And speeches—no profit in them?
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
4 Indeed, you make reverence void, and diminish meditation before God.
Yea, thou doest away with fear, And hinderest devotion before God.
5 For your mouth teaches your iniquity, And you choose the tongue of the cunning.
For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your mouth declares you wicked, and not I, And your lips testify against you.
Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
7 Are you the first man born? And were you formed before the heights?
Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you hear of the secret counsel of God? And withdraw wisdom to you?
Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?
9 What have you known, and we do not know? [What] do you understand, and it is not with us?
What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?
10 Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us—Greater than your father [in] days.
With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much elder than thy father.
11 Are the comforts of God too few for you? And a gentle word [is] with you,
Are the consolations of God too small for thee, Even the word that is gentle toward thee?
12 Why does your heart take you away? And why are your eyes high?
Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,
13 Do you turn your spirit against God? And have brought out words from your mouth:
That against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth?
14 What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?
What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, He puts no credence in His holy ones, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.
Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:
16 Also—surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking perverseness as water.
How much less one that is abominable and corrupt, A man that drinketh iniquity like water!
17 I show you—listen to me—And this I have seen and declare,
I will show thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare
18 Which the wise declare—And have not hid—from their fathers.
(Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;
19 To them alone was the land given, And a stranger did not pass over into their midst:
Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them):
20 All [the] days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.
The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace a destroyer comes to him.
A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
22 He does not believe to return from darkness, And he watches for the sword.
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.
23 He is wandering for bread: Where [is] it? He has known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.
He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying], Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Adversity and distress terrify him, They prevail over him as a king ready for a boaster.
Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25 For he stretched out his hand against God, And against the Mighty he makes himself mighty.
Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;
26 He runs to Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.
He runneth upon him with a [stiff] neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;
27 For he has covered his face with his fat, And makes vigor over [his] confidence.
Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins;
28 And he inhabits cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.
And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps;
29 He is not rich, nor does his wealth rise, Nor does he stretch out their continuance on earth.
He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
30 He does not turn aside from darkness, A flame dries up his tender branch, And he turns aside at the breath of His mouth!
He shall not depart out of darkness; The flame shall dry up his branches, And by the breath of [God’s] mouth shall he go away.
31 Do not let him put credence in vanity, He has been deceived, For vanity is his exchange.
Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.
32 It is not completed in his day, And his bending branch is not green.
It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green.
33 He shakes off his unripe fruit as a vine, And casts off his blossom as an olive.
He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.
34 For the company of the profane [is] barren, And fire has consumed tents of bribery.
For the company of the godless shall be barren, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
35 To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart prepares deceit.”
They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their heart prepareth deceit.
