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 utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly 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 castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
5 For your mouth teaches your iniquity, And you choose the tongue of the cunning.
For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, 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 made before the hills?
8 Do you hear of the secret counsel of God? And withdraw wisdom to you?
Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain 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 grayheaded and 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 small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?
12 Why does your heart take you away? And why are your eyes high?
Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,
13 Do you turn your spirit against God? And have brought out words from your mouth:
That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest [such] 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 which 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 saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
16 Also—surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking perverseness as water.
How much more abominable and filthy [is] man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
17 I show you—listen to me—And this I have seen and declare,
I will shew thee, hear 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 earth 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, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
21 A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace a destroyer comes to him.
A dreadful sound [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.
Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall 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.
For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.
26 He runs to Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.
He runneth upon him, [even] on [his] neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
27 For he has covered his face with his fat, And makes vigor over [his] confidence.
Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on [his] flanks.
28 And he inhabits cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.
And he dwelleth in desolate cities, [and] in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are 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 he prolong the perfection thereof upon 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 his mouth shall he go away.
31 Do not let him put credence in vanity, He has been deceived, For vanity is his exchange.
Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.
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.
34 For the company of the profane [is] barren, And fire has consumed tents of bribery.
For the congregation of hypocrites [shall be] desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
35 To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart prepares deceit.”
They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
