Job 15
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 Should a wise man answer with arguments of wind, Or fill his bosom with the east wind?
“Does a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill his belly with the hot east wind?
3 Should he argue with speech that helpeth him not, And with words which do not profit him?
Should he argue with useless words or speeches that serve no purpose?
4 Behold, thou makest the fear of God a vain thing, And discouragest prayer before him.
But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before Him.
5 Yea, thy own mouth proclaimeth thy iniquity, Though thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
For your iniquity instructs your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Thy own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Thy own lips testify against thee.
Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you; your own lips testify against you.
7 Art thou the first man that was born? Wast thou formed before the hills?
Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Hast thou listened in the council of God, And drawn all wisdom to thyself?
Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What dost thou know, that we know not also? What dost thou understand, that is a secret to us?
What do you know that we do not? What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 With us are the aged and hoary-headed; Much older than thy father.
Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our side— men much older than your father.
11 Dost thou despise the consolations of God, And words so full of kindness to thee?
Are the consolations of God not enough for you, even words spoken gently to you?
12 Why hath thy passion taken possession of thee? And why this winking of thine eyes?
Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,
13 For against God hast thou turned thy spirit, And uttered such words from thy mouth.
as you turn your spirit against God and pour such words from your mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be pure, And he that is born of woman, that he should be innocent?
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, He putteth no trust in his ministering spirits, And the heavens are not pure in his sight;
If God puts no trust in His holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes,
16 Much less, abominable and polluted man, Who drinketh iniquity as water.
how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?
17 Hear me, and I will show thee, And that which I have seen will I declare;
Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen,
18 Which the wise men have told, And not kept concealed, as received from their fathers;
what was declared by wise men and was not concealed from their fathers,
19 To whom alone the land was given, And among whom not a stranger wandered.
to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them.
20 “All his days the wicked man is in pain; Yea, all the years, that are laid up for the oppressor.
A wicked man writhes in pain all his days; only a few years are reserved for the ruthless.
21 A fearful sound is in his ears; In peace the destroyer cometh upon him.
Sounds of terror fill his ears; in his prosperity the destroyer attacks him.
22 He hath no hope that he shall escape from darkness; He is set apart for the sword.
He despairs of his return from darkness; he is marked for the sword.
23 He wandereth about, seeking bread; He knoweth that a day of darkness is at hand.
He wanders about as food for vultures; he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish fill him with dread; They prevail against him like a king ready for the battle.
Distress and anguish terrify him, overwhelming him like a king poised to attack.
25 Because he stretched forth his hand against God, And bade defiance to the Almighty,
For he has stretched out his hand against God and has vaunted himself against the Almighty,
26 And ran against him with outstretched neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;
rushing headlong at Him with a thick, studded shield.
27 Because he covered his face with fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins,
Though his face is covered with fat and his waistline bulges with flesh,
28 And dwelt in desolated cities, In houses which no man inhabiteth, That are ready to become heaps.
he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to become rubble.
29 He shall not be rich; his substance shall not endure, And his possessions shall not be extended upon the earth.
He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land.
30 He shall not escape from darkness, And the flame shall dry up his branches; Yea, by the breath of His mouth shall he be taken away.
He will not escape from the darkness; the flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.
31 “Let not man trust in vanity! he will be deceived; For vanity shall be his recompense.
Let him not deceive himself with trust in emptiness, for emptiness will be his reward.
32 He shall come to his end before his time, And his branch shall not be green.
It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.
33 He shall shake off his unripe fruit like the vine, And shed his blossoms like the olive-tree.
He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
34 The house of the unrighteous shall be famished, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth misery, And their breast deviseth deceit.”
They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb is pregnant with deceit.”
