Ἰώβ 4
1 ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ελιφας ὁ Θαιμανίτης λέγει
Then Eliphaz, from Teman, replied to Job. He said,
2 μὴ πολλάκις σοι λελάληται ἐν κόπῳ ἰσχὺν δὲ ῥημάτων σου τίς ὑποίσει
“Will you please let me say something to you? I am not [RHQ] able to remain silent [any longer].
3 εἰ γὰρ σὺ ἐνουθέτησας πολλοὺς καὶ χεῖρας ἀσθενοῦς παρεκάλεσας
In the past, you have instructed/taught many people, and you have encouraged those who were weak.
4 ἀσθενοῦντάς τε ἐξανέστησας ῥήμασιν γόνασίν τε ἀδυνατοῦσιν θάρσος περιέθηκας
By what you said, you have helped those who (needed spiritual help/almost quit trusting in God) [MET], and you have enabled them to become spiritually strong again [MET].
5 νῦν δὲ ἥκει ἐπὶ σὲ πόνος καὶ ἥψατό σου σὺ δὲ ἐσπούδασας
But now, when you experience disasters, you become discouraged. The disasters hit you, and you are stunned.
6 πότερον οὐχ ὁ φόβος σού ἐστιν ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς σου καὶ ἡ ἀκακία τῆς ὁδοῦ σου
You revere God; (does that not cause you to trust [in him]?/that should cause you to trust [in him].) [RHQ] If you were guiltless, you would [RHQ] be confident that [God] would not [have allowed] these disasters [to] happen to you!
7 μνήσθητι οὖν τίς καθαρὸς ὢν ἀπώλετο ἢ πότε ἀληθινοὶ ὁλόρριζοι ἀπώλοντο
Think about this: Do innocent people die [while they are still young] [RHQ]? Does God get rid of godly people [RHQ]? [No!]
8 καθ’ ὃν τρόπον εἶδον τοὺς ἀροτριῶντας τὰ ἄτοπα οἱ δὲ σπείροντες αὐτὰ ὀδύνας θεριοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς
What I have experienced is this: [Just as] [MET] farmers who plant bad [seeds] do not harvest good [crops], [just as those who start] trouble for others, later bring trouble on themselves.
9 ἀπὸ προστάγματος κυρίου ἀπολοῦνται ἀπὸ δὲ πνεύματος ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ ἀφανισθήσονται
They die when God angrily blows his breath on them, when he is very angry with them.
10 σθένος λέοντος φωνὴ δὲ λεαίνης γαυρίαμα δὲ δρακόντων ἐσβέσθη
[Even though wicked people may be very powerful like] young lions, [God] will get rid of them [MET].
11 μυρμηκολέων ὤλετο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βοράν σκύμνοι δὲ λεόντων ἔλιπον ἀλλήλους
[They will die like] fierce lions [that] starve to death when there are no animals that they can kill and eat, and [their children will be separated from each other like] young lions separate from each other [to find food].”
12 εἰ δέ τι ῥῆμα ἀληθινὸν ἐγεγόνει ἐν λόγοις σου οὐθὲν ἄν σοι τούτων κακὸν ἀπήντησεν πότερον οὐ δέξεταί μου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια παρ’ αὐτοῦ
“I heard a message that someone came and whispered to me.
13 φόβοι δὲ καὶ ἠχὼ νυκτερινή ἐπιπίπτων φόβος ἐπ’ ἀνθρώπους
He spoke to me at night when I was having a bad dream that disturbed/frightened me while I was fast asleep.
14 φρίκη δέ μοι συνήντησεν καὶ τρόμος καὶ μεγάλως μου τὰ ὀστᾶ συνέσεισεν
It caused me to be afraid and tremble; it caused all my bones to shake.
15 καὶ πνεῦμα ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπῆλθεν ἔφριξαν δέ μου τρίχες καὶ σάρκες
A ghost glided past my face and caused the hair on [on the back of] my neck to stand straight up.
16 ἀνέστην καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνων εἶδον καὶ οὐκ ἦν μορφὴ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου ἀλλ’ ἢ αὔραν καὶ φωνὴν ἤκουον
It stopped, but I could not see what form it had. But [I could sense that] there was some being in front of me, and it said in a quiet voice,
17 τί γάρ μὴ καθαρὸς ἔσται βροτὸς ἐναντίον κυρίου ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἄμεμπτος ἀνήρ
‘(Does God consider anyone to be righteous?/No human beings can be righteous in God’s sight!) [RHQ] (Their creator cannot consider them to be pure./Can their creator consider them to be pure?) [RHQ]
18 εἰ κατὰ παίδων αὐτοῦ οὐ πιστεύει κατὰ δὲ ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ σκολιόν τι ἐπενόησεν
God cannot be sure that his own angels [will always do what is right]; he declares that some of them have done what is wrong.
19 τοὺς δὲ κατοικοῦντας οἰκίας πηλίνας ἐξ ὧν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πηλοῦ ἐσμεν ἔπαισεν αὐτοὺς σητὸς τρόπον
So he certainly cannot trust human beings who were made from dust and clay, who are crushed as easily as moths are crushed!
20 καὶ ἀπὸ πρωίθεν ἕως ἑσπέρας οὐκέτι εἰσίν παρὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς βοηθῆσαι ἀπώλοντο
People are sometimes well in the morning, but in the evening they are dead. They are gone forever and do not even know it (OR, and no one pays any attention to it).
21 ἐνεφύσησεν γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξηράνθησαν ἀπώλοντο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς σοφίαν
They are like [MET] tents that collapse [suddenly]: They die [suddenly] before they become wise.’”
