Job 15
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answers and says:
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Does a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill his belly [with] an east wind?
“Should a wise man answer with useless 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 with which he can do no good?
4 Indeed, you make reverence void, and diminish meditation before God.
Indeed, you diminish respect for God; you obstruct devotion to him,
5 For your mouth teaches your iniquity, And you choose the tongue of the cunning.
for your iniquity teaches your mouth; you choose to have the tongue of a crafty man.
6 Your mouth declares you wicked, and not I, And your lips testify against you.
Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; indeed, your own lips testify against you.
7 Are you the first man born? And were you formed before the heights?
Are you the first man that was born? Were you brought into existence before the hills?
8 Do you hear of the secret counsel of God? And withdraw wisdom to you?
Have you heard the secret knowledge of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What have you known, and we do not know? [What] do you understand, and it is not with us?
What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not also 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 who are much older than your 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 you, the words that are gentle toward you?
12 Why does your heart take you away? And why are your eyes high?
Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
13 Do you turn your spirit against God? And have brought out words from your mouth:
so that you turn your spirit against God and bring out such words from your 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? What is he who 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.
See, God puts no trust even in his holy ones; indeed, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
16 Also—surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking perverseness as water.
how much less clean is one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
17 I show you—listen to me—And this I have seen and declare,
I will show you; listen to me; I will announce to you the things I have seen,
18 Which the wise declare—And have not hid—from their fathers.
the things that wise men have passed down from their fathers, the things that their ancestors did not hide.
19 To them alone was the land given, And a stranger did not pass over into their midst:
These were their ancestors, to whom alone the land was given, and among whom no stranger ever passed.
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 twists in pain all his days, the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor to suffer.
21 A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace a destroyer comes to him.
A sound of terrors is in his ears; while he is in prosperity, the destroyer will come upon him.
22 He does not believe to return from darkness, And he watches for the sword.
He does not think that he will return out of darkness; the sword waits for him.
23 He is wandering for bread: Where [is] it? He has known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.
He goes to various places for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that the day of darkness is at 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 for battle.
25 For he stretched out his hand against God, And against the Mighty he makes himself mighty.
Because he has reached out with his hand against God and has behaved proudly against the Almighty,
26 He runs to Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.
this wicked man runs at God with a stiff neck, with a thick shield.
27 For he has covered his face with his fat, And makes vigor over [his] confidence.
This is true, even though he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat on his loins,
28 And he inhabits cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.
and has lived in desolate cities; in houses which no man inhabits now and 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 will not be rich; his wealth will not last and his possessions will not spread over the land.
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 will not depart out of darkness; a flame will dry up his stalks; at the breath of God's mouth he will 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 useless things, deceiving himself; for uselessness will be his reward.
32 It is not completed in his day, And his bending branch is not green.
It will happen before his time should come to die; his branch will not be green.
33 He shakes off his unripe fruit as a vine, And casts off his blossom as an olive.
He will drop his unripe grapes like a grapevine; he will cast off his flowers like the olive tree.
34 For the company of the profane [is] barren, And fire has consumed tents of bribery.
For the company of godless people will be barren; fire will consume their tents of bribery.
35 To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart prepares deceit.”
They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity; their womb conceives deceit.”
