Job 15
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
2 Should a wise man answer with arguments of wind, Or fill his bosom with the east wind?
Should, a wise man, answer unreal knowledge? or fill, with the east wind, his inner man?
3 Should he argue with speech that helpeth him not, And with words which do not profit him?
Disputing with discourse that doth no good, or with speech, wherein is no profit?
4 Behold, thou makest the fear of God a vain thing, And discouragest prayer before him.
But, thou, wouldst take away reverence, and wouldst attain unto meditation before GOD.
5 Yea, thy own mouth proclaimeth thy iniquity, Though 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 Thy own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Thy 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? Wast thou formed before the hills?
The first of mankind, wast thou born? Or, before the hills, wast thou brought forth?
8 Hast thou listened in the council of God, And drawn all 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 dost thou know, that we know not also? What dost thou understand, that is a secret to us?
What knowest thou, that we know not? [What] understandest thou, and the same, is not with us?
10 With us are the aged and hoary-headed; Much older than thy father.
Both hoary and venerable, are among us, one mightier than thy father in days!
11 Dost thou despise the consolations of God, And words so full of kindness to thee?
Too small for thee, are the consolations of GOD? or a word spoken gently with thee?
12 Why hath thy passion taken possession of thee? And why this winking of thine eyes?
How doth thine own heart carry thee away, and how thine eyes do roll!
13 For against God hast thou turned thy spirit, And uttered such words from 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 pure, And he that is born of woman, that he should be innocent?
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 ministering spirits, And the heavens are not pure in his sight;
Lo! in his holy ones, he putteth not confidence, and, the heavens, are not pure in his eyes:
16 Much less, abominable and polluted man, Who drinketh iniquity as water.
How much less when one is detested and corrupt, a man who drinketh in—like water—perversity.
17 Hear me, and I will show thee, And that which I have seen will I declare;
I will tell thee—hear me, Since this I have seen, I must needs declare it.
18 Which the wise men have told, And not kept concealed, as received from their fathers;
Which, wise men, tell, and deny not [that which is] from their fathers.
19 To whom alone the land was given, And among whom not a stranger wandered.
To them alone, was the earth given, and no alien passed through their midst:
20 “All his days the wicked man is in pain; Yea, all the years, that are laid up for 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 fearful sound is in his ears; In peace the destroyer cometh upon him.
A noise of dreadful things, is in his ears, In prosperity, the destroyer cometh upon him;
22 He hath no hope that he shall escape from darkness; He is set apart for the sword.
He hath no confidence to come back out of darkness, he, being destined to the power oft the sword;
23 He wandereth about, seeking bread; He knoweth that a day of darkness is at hand.
A wanderer, he, for bread, [saying] Where [is it]? He knoweth that, prepared by his own hand, is the day of darkness;
24 Distress and anguish fill him with dread; They prevail against him like a king ready for the battle.
Distress and anguish shall startle him, It shall overpower him, like a king ready for the onset:
25 Because he stretched forth his hand against God, And bade defiance to the Almighty,
Because he had stretched out—against GOD—his hand, and, against the Almighty, had been wont to behave himself proudly;
26 And ran against him with outstretched neck, With 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 covered his face with fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins,
For he had covered his face with his fatness, and had gathered a superabundance on his loins;
28 And dwelt in desolated cities, In houses which no man inhabiteth, That 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; his substance shall not endure, And his possessions shall not be extended 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 escape from darkness, And the flame shall dry up his branches; Yea, by the breath of His mouth shall he be taken 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 man trust in vanity! he will be deceived; For vanity shall be his recompense.
Let no one trust in him that—by vanity—is deceived, for, vanity, shall be his recompense;
32 He shall come to his end 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 fruit like the vine, And shed his blossoms like the olive-tree.
He shall wrong—like a vine—his sour grapes, and shall cast off—as an olive-tree—his blossom.
34 The house of the unrighteous shall be famished, And fire shall consume the tents 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 misery, And their breast deviseth deceit.”
Conceiving mischief, and bringing forth iniquity, yea, their inmost soul, prepareth deceit.
