< Job 15 >

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —
2 Should a wise men utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
Doth a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill [with] an east wind his belly?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches with which he can do no good?
To reason with a word not useful? And speeches — no profit in them?
4 Yes, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.
5 For thy mouth uttereth thy iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
For thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity, And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.
6 Thy own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yes, thy own lips testify against thee.
Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.
7 [Art] thou the first man [that] was born? or wast thou made before the hills?
The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?
8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?
Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?
9 What knowest thou that we know not? [what] understandest thou, which [is] not in us?
What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou — and it is not with us?
10 With us [are] both the gray headed and very aged men, much older than thy father.
Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us — Greater than thy father [in] days.
11 [Are] the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?
Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word [is] with thee,
12 Why doth thy heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,
What — doth thine heart take thee away? And what — are thine eyes high?
13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest [such] words go out of thy mouth?
For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:
14 What [is] man, that he should be clean? and [he who is] born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?
15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.
16 How much more abominable and filthy [is] man, who drinketh iniquity like water?
Also — surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.
17 I will show thee, hear me; and that [which] I have seen, I will declare;
I shew thee — hearken to me — And this I have seen and declare:
18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid [it]:
Which the wise declare — And have not hid — from their fathers.
19 To whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.
To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:
20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all [his] days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
'All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.
21 A dreadful sound [is] in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for by the sword.
He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched [is] he for the sword.
23 He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying], Where [is it]? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
He is wandering for bread — 'Where [is] it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.
24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.
25 For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.
For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.
26 He runneth upon him, [even] on [his] neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.
27 Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on [his] flanks.
For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over [his] confidence.
28 And he dwelleth in desolate cities, [and] in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.
And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection of it upon the earth.
He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.
30 He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.
He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth!
31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompense.
Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.
32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.
33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.
34 For the congregation of hypocrites [shall be] desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
For the company of the profane [is] gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.

< Job 15 >