Job 15
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:
2 “Should a wise man answer with useless knowledge and fill himself with the east wind?
Should a wise man answer with arguments of wind, Or fill his bosom with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk or with speeches with which he can do no good?
Should he argue with speech that helpeth him not, And with words which do not profit him?
4 Indeed, you diminish respect for God; you obstruct devotion to him,
Behold, thou makest the fear of God a vain thing, And discouragest prayer before him.
5 for your iniquity teaches your mouth; you choose to have the tongue of a crafty man.
Yea, thy own mouth proclaimeth thy iniquity, Though thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; indeed, your own lips testify against you.
Thy own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Thy own lips testify against thee.
7 Are you the first man that was born? Were you brought into existence before the hills?
Art thou the first man that was born? Wast thou formed before the hills?
8 Have you heard the secret knowledge of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
Hast thou listened in the council of God, And drawn all wisdom to thyself?
9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not also in us?
What dost thou know, that we know not also? What dost thou understand, that is a secret to us?
10 With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men who are much older than your father.
With us are the aged and hoary-headed; Much older than thy father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, the words that are gentle toward you?
Dost thou despise the consolations of God, And words so full of kindness to thee?
12 Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
Why hath thy passion taken possession of thee? And why this winking of thine eyes?
13 so that you turn your spirit against God and bring out such words from your mouth?
For against God hast thou turned thy spirit, And uttered such words from thy mouth.
14 What is man that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman that he should be righteous?
What is man, that he should be pure, And he that is born of woman, that he should be innocent?
15 See, God puts no trust even in his holy ones; indeed, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
Behold, He putteth no trust in his ministering spirits, And the heavens are not pure in his sight;
16 how much less clean is one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
Much less, abominable and polluted man, Who drinketh iniquity as water.
17 I will show you; listen to me; I will announce to you the things I have seen,
Hear me, and I will show thee, And that which I have seen will I declare;
18 the things that wise men have passed down from their fathers, the things that their ancestors did not hide.
Which the wise men have told, And not kept concealed, as received from their fathers;
19 These were their ancestors, to whom alone the land was given, and among whom no stranger ever passed.
To whom alone the land was given, And among whom not a stranger wandered.
20 The wicked man twists in pain all his days, the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor to suffer.
“All his days the wicked man is in pain; Yea, all the years, that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears; while he is in prosperity, the destroyer will come upon him.
A fearful sound is in his ears; In peace the destroyer cometh upon him.
22 He does not think that he will return out of darkness; the sword waits for him.
He hath no hope that he shall escape from darkness; He is set apart for the sword.
23 He goes to various places for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that the day of darkness is at hand.
He wandereth about, seeking bread; He knoweth that a day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish make him afraid; they prevail against him, as a king ready for battle.
Distress and anguish fill him with dread; They prevail against him like a king ready for the battle.
25 Because he has reached out with his hand against God and has behaved proudly against the Almighty,
Because he stretched forth his hand against God, And bade defiance to the Almighty,
26 this wicked man runs at God with a stiff neck, with a thick shield.
And ran against him with outstretched neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;
27 This is true, even though he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat on his loins,
Because he covered his face with fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins,
28 and has lived in desolate cities; in houses which no man inhabits now and which were ready to become heaps.
And dwelt in desolated cities, In houses which no man inhabiteth, That are ready to become heaps.
29 He will not be rich; his wealth will not last and his possessions will not spread over the land.
He shall not be rich; his substance shall not endure, And his possessions shall not be extended upon the earth.
30 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.
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.
31 Let him not trust in useless things, deceiving himself; for uselessness will be his reward.
“Let not man trust in vanity! he will be deceived; For vanity shall be his recompense.
32 It will happen before his time should come to die; his branch will not be green.
He shall come to his end before his time, And his branch shall not be green.
33 He will drop his unripe grapes like a grapevine; he will cast off his flowers like the olive tree.
He shall shake off his unripe fruit like the vine, And shed his blossoms like the olive-tree.
34 For the company of godless people will be barren; fire will consume their tents of bribery.
The house of the unrighteous shall be famished, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity; their womb conceives deceit.”
They conceive mischief, and bring forth misery, And their breast deviseth deceit.”
