Job 15
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
Then answered Eliphaz the Themanite, and said,
2 “Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
Should a wise man utter windy knowledge, and fill his inward parts with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
Should he reason with a speech which availeth nothing? and with words in which there is no profit?
4 Yes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
Yea, thou truly makest void the fear [of God], and diminishest devotion before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
For thy iniquity teacheth thy mouth, so that thou choosest the language of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I. Yes, your own lips testify against you.
Thy own mouth must condemn thee, but not I: yea, thy own lips will testify against thee.
7 “Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought out before the hills?
Wast thou born as the first man? or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
8 Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
Hast thou listened to the secret counsel of God? and is wisdom therefore of little esteem with thee?
9 What do you know that we don’t know? What do you understand which is not in us?
What knowest thou, that we do not know? what understandest thou, which is not with us?
10 With us are both the grey-headed and the very aged men, much older than your father.
Both the grayheaded and the very aged are among us, — richer than thy father in days.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle towards you?
Are the divine consolations too little for thee? and the word that was so mild with thee?
12 Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
Whither doth thy heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes gaze at?
13 that you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
That thou shouldst turn against God thy spirit, and utter [such] words out of 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 that he who is born of woman should be declared righteous?
15 Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
Behold, in his holy ones he putteth no trust; and the heavens are not pure in his eyes:
16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
How much more then the abominable and corrupt, the man who drinketh like water wrong-doing?
17 “I will show you, listen to me; that which I have seen I will declare
I will instruct thee, hear me; and what I have seen will I relate;
18 (which wise men have told by their fathers, and have not hidden it;
Which wise men have ever told, and have not concealed, as they obtained it from their fathers;
19 to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed amongst them):
Unto whom alone the earth was given, and into whose midst no stranger ever entered.
20 the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
All his days is the wicked plagued with pain, and the number of years which are laid by for the tyrant.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer will come on him.
A sound of terrors is in his ears: during peace will the waster come over him.
22 He doesn’t believe that he will return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword.
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is looked for by the sword.
23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying, ] Where is it? he knoweth that there is ready at his hand the day of darkness.
24 Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
Distress and anguish terrify him: they assail him with might, as a king prepared for the battle.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,
Because he had stretched out against God his hand, and strengthened himself against the Almighty;
26 he runs at him with a stiff neck, with the thick shields of his bucklers,
[And] he had run against him, with an [extended] neck, with the thick roundings of his bucklers;
27 because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs.
Because he had covered his face with his fat, and had made thick folds of fat on his flanks;
28 He has lived in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
And he dwelt in abandoned cities, in houses which none inhabited, which were destined to be ruinous heaps.
29 He will not be rich, neither will his substance continue, neither will their possessions be extended on the earth.
[Yet] will he not remain rich, neither will his wealth endure, nor will he attain their perfection on earth.
30 He will not depart out of darkness. The flame will dry up his branches. He will go away by the breath of God’s mouth.
He will never depart out of darkness: the flame shall dry up his shoots, and he will depart by the breath of God's mouth.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his reward.
Let him that goeth astray not trust in vanity; for vanity will be what he obtaineth thereby.
32 It will be accomplished before his time. His branch will not be green.
Even before his time will it be overfull, and his branches will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and will cast off his flower as the olive tree.
He will shake off like the vine his unripe grapes, and cast off like the olive his blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
For the assembly of hypocrites will remain desolate, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
They conceive trouble, and bring forth wrong-doing, and their body prepareth deceit.
