Job 15
1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2 Doth a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill [with] an east wind his belly?
“Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
3 To reason with a word not useful? And speeches — no profit in them?
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4 Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.
Yes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
5 For thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity, And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.
For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.
Your own mouth condemns you, and not I. Yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?
“Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought out before the hills?
8 Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?
Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou — and it is not with us?
What do you know that we don’t know? What do you understand which is not in us?
10 Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us — Greater than thy father [in] days.
With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much older than your father.
11 Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word [is] with thee,
Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle toward you?
12 What — doth thine heart take thee away? And what — are thine eyes high?
Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
13 For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:
that you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
14 What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?
What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.
Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
16 Also — surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.
how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
17 I shew thee — hearken to me — And this I have seen and declare:
“I will show you, listen to me; that which I have seen I will declare
18 Which the wise declare — And have not hid — from their fathers.
(which wise men have told by their fathers, and have not hidden it;
19 To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:
to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them):
20 'All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.
the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.
A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer will come on him.
22 He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched [is] he for the sword.
He doesn’t believe that he will return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword.
23 He is wandering for bread — 'Where [is] it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.
He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.
Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25 For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.
Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,
26 He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.
he runs at him with a stiff neck, with the thick shields of his bucklers,
27 For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over [his] confidence.
because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs.
28 And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.
He has lived in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
29 He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.
He will not be rich, neither will his substance continue, neither will their possessions be extended on the earth.
30 He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth!
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.
31 Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.
Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his reward.
32 Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.
It will be accomplished before his time. His branch will not be green.
33 He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.
He will shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and will cast off his flower as the olive tree.
34 For the company of the profane [is] gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.
For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.
They conceive mischief and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
