Job 15
1 Then responded Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Should, a wise man, answer unreal knowledge? or fill, with the east wind, his inner man?
Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?
3 Disputing with discourse that doth no good, or with speech, wherein is no profit?
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
4 But, thou, wouldst take away reverence, and wouldst attain unto meditation before GOD.
Yea, thou doest away with fear, And hinderest devotion before God.
5 For thine own mouth would teach thine iniquity, and thou wouldst choose the tongue of the crafty.
For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thine own mouth shall condemn thee, and, not I, And, thine own lips, shall testify against thee.
Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
7 The first of mankind, wast thou born? Or, before the hills, wast thou brought forth?
Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
8 In the secret council of GOD, hast thou been wont to hearken? Or canst thou attain for thyself unto wisdom?
Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?
9 What knowest thou, that we know not? [What] understandest thou, and the same, is not with us?
What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?
10 Both hoary and venerable, are among us, one mightier than thy father in days!
With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much elder than thy father.
11 Too small for thee, are the consolations of GOD? or a word spoken gently with thee?
Are the consolations of God too small for thee, Even the word that is gentle toward thee?
12 How doth thine own heart carry thee away, and how thine eyes do roll!
Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,
13 For thy spirit, replieth against GOD, and thou bringest forth—out of thy mouth—words!
That against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth?
14 What is a mortal, that he should be pure? or that righteous should be one born of a woman?
What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Lo! in his holy ones, he putteth not confidence, and, the heavens, are not pure in his eyes:
Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:
16 How much less when one is detested and corrupt, a man who drinketh in—like water—perversity.
How much less one that is abominable and corrupt, A man that drinketh iniquity like water!
17 I will tell thee—hear me, Since this I have seen, I must needs declare it.
I will show thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare
18 Which, wise men, tell, and deny not [that which is] from their fathers.
(Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;
19 To them alone, was the earth given, and no alien passed through their midst:
Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them):
20 All the days of the lawless man, he, doth writhe with pain, and, the number of years, is hidden from the tyrant;
The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 A noise of dreadful things, is in his ears, In prosperity, the destroyer cometh upon him;
A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
22 He hath no confidence to come back out of darkness, he, being destined to the power oft the sword;
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.
23 A wanderer, he, for bread, [saying] Where [is it]? He knoweth that, prepared by his own hand, is the 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 Distress and anguish shall startle him, It shall overpower him, like a king ready for the onset:
Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25 Because he had stretched out—against GOD—his hand, and, against the Almighty, had been wont to behave himself proudly;
Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;
26 He used to run against him with uplifted neck, with the stout bosses of his bucklers;
He runneth upon him with a [stiff] neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;
27 For he had covered his face with his fatness, and had gathered a superabundance on his loins;
Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins;
28 And had inhabited demolished cities, houses, wherein men would not dwell, that were destined to become heaps.
And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps;
29 He shall not be rich, nor shall his substance continue, neither shall their shadow stretch along on the earth;
He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
30 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!
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 Let no one trust in him that—by vanity—is deceived, for, vanity, shall be his recompense;
Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.
32 Before his day, shall it be accomplished, with, his palm-top, not covered with leaves;
It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green.
33 He shall wrong—like a vine—his sour grapes, and shall cast off—as an olive-tree—his blossom.
He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.
34 For, the family of the impious, is unfruitful, and, a fire, hath devoured the tents of bribery;
For the company of the godless shall be barren, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
35 Conceiving mischief, and bringing forth iniquity, yea, their inmost soul, prepareth deceit.
They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their heart prepareth deceit.
