< Job 15 >

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Themanite, and said,
Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Should a wise man utter windy knowledge, and fill his inward parts with the east wind?
Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with a speech which availeth nothing? and with words in which there is no profit?
Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
4 Yea, thou truly makest void the fear [of God], and diminishest devotion before God.
Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
5 For thy iniquity teacheth thy mouth, so that thou choosest the language of the crafty.
For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
6 Thy own mouth must condemn thee, but not I: yea, thy own lips will testify against thee.
Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
7 Wast thou born as the first man? or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
[Art] thou the first man [that] was born? or wast thou made before the hills?
8 Hast thou listened to the secret counsel of God? and is wisdom therefore of little esteem with thee?
Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?
9 What knowest thou, that we do not know? what understandest thou, which is not with us?
What knowest thou, that we know not? [what] understandest thou, which [is] not in us?
10 Both the grayheaded and the very aged are among us, — richer than thy father in days.
With us [are] both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.
11 Are the divine consolations too little for thee? and the word that was so mild with thee?
[Are] the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?
12 Whither doth thy heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes gaze at?
Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,
13 That thou shouldst turn against God thy spirit, and utter [such] words out of thy mouth?
That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest [such] words go out of thy mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be pure? and that he who is born of woman should be declared righteous?
What [is] man, that he should be clean? and [he which is] born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, in his holy ones he putteth no trust; and the heavens are not pure in his eyes:
Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
16 How much more then the abominable and corrupt, the man who drinketh like water wrong-doing?
How much more abominable and filthy [is] man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
17 I will instruct thee, hear me; and what I have seen will I relate;
I will shew thee, hear me; and that [which] I have seen I will declare;
18 Which wise men have ever told, and have not concealed, as they obtained it from their fathers;
Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid [it: ]
19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and into whose midst no stranger ever entered.
Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.
20 All his days is the wicked plagued with pain, and the number of years which are laid by for the tyrant.
The wicked man travaileth with pain all [his] days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears: during peace will the waster come over him.
A dreadful sound [is] in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is looked for by the sword.
He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.
23 He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying, ] Where is it? he knoweth that there is ready at his hand the day of darkness.
He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying], Where [is it]? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him: they assail him with might, as a king prepared for the battle.
Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25 Because he had stretched out against God his hand, and strengthened himself against the Almighty;
For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.
26 [And] he had run against him, with an [extended] neck, with the thick roundings of his bucklers;
He runneth upon him, [even] on [his] neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
27 Because he had covered his face with his fat, and had made thick folds of fat on his flanks;
Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on [his] flanks.
28 And he dwelt in abandoned cities, in houses which none inhabited, which were destined to be ruinous heaps.
And he dwelleth in desolate cities, [and] in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.
29 [Yet] will he not remain rich, neither will his wealth endure, nor will he attain their perfection on earth.
He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.
30 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.
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.
31 Let him that goeth astray not trust in vanity; for vanity will be what he obtaineth thereby.
Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.
32 Even before his time will it be overfull, and his branches will not be green.
It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
33 He will shake off like the vine his unripe grapes, and cast off like the olive his blossoms.
He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
34 For the assembly of hypocrites will remain desolate, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
For the congregation of hypocrites [shall be] desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
35 They conceive trouble, and bring forth wrong-doing, and their body prepareth deceit.
They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

< Job 15 >