Job 15
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Themanite, and said,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 Should a wise man utter windy knowledge, and fill his inward parts with the east wind?
“Should a wise man answer with useless knowledge and fill himself 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 with which he can do no good?
4 Yea, thou truly makest void the fear [of God], and diminishest devotion before God.
Indeed, you diminish respect for God; you obstruct devotion to him,
5 For thy iniquity teacheth thy mouth, so that thou choosest the language of the crafty.
for your iniquity teaches your mouth; you choose to have the tongue of a crafty man.
6 Thy own mouth must condemn thee, but not I: yea, thy own lips will testify against thee.
Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; indeed, your own lips testify against you.
7 Wast thou born as the first man? or wast thou brought forth before the hills?
Are you the first man that was born? Were you brought into existence before the hills?
8 Hast thou listened to the secret counsel of God? and is wisdom therefore of little esteem with thee?
Have you heard the secret knowledge of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What knowest thou, that we do not know? what understandest thou, which is not with us?
What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not also in us?
10 Both the grayheaded and the very aged are among us, — richer than thy father in days.
With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men who are much older than your father.
11 Are the divine consolations too little for thee? and the word that was so mild with thee?
Are the consolations of God too small for you, the words that are gentle toward you?
12 Whither doth thy heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes gaze at?
Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
13 That thou shouldst turn against God thy spirit, and utter [such] words out of thy mouth?
so that you turn your spirit against God and bring out such words from your 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? What is he who 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:
See, God puts no trust even in his holy ones; indeed, 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 less clean is one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
17 I will instruct thee, hear me; and what I have seen will I relate;
I will show you; listen to me; I will announce to you the things I have seen,
18 Which wise men have ever told, and have not concealed, as they obtained it from their fathers;
the things that wise men have passed down from their fathers, the things that their ancestors did not hide.
19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and into whose midst no stranger ever entered.
These were their ancestors, to whom alone the land was given, and among whom no stranger ever passed.
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 twists in pain all his days, the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor to suffer.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears: during peace will the waster come over him.
A sound of terrors is in his ears; while he is in prosperity, the destroyer will come upon him.
22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is looked for by the sword.
He does not think that he will return out of darkness; the sword waits for him.
23 He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying, ] Where is it? he knoweth that there is ready at his hand the day of darkness.
He goes to various places for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish terrify him: they assail him with might, as a king prepared for the battle.
Distress and anguish make him afraid; they prevail against him, as a king ready for battle.
25 Because he had stretched out against God his hand, and strengthened himself against the Almighty;
Because he has reached out with his hand against God and has behaved proudly against the Almighty,
26 [And] he had run against him, with an [extended] neck, with the thick roundings of his bucklers;
this wicked man runs at God with a stiff neck, with a thick shield.
27 Because he had covered his face with his fat, and had made thick folds of fat on his flanks;
This is true, even though he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat on his loins,
28 And he dwelt in abandoned cities, in houses which none inhabited, which were destined to be ruinous heaps.
and has lived in desolate cities; in houses which no man inhabits now and which were 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 will not be rich; his wealth will not last and his possessions will not spread over the land.
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 will not depart out of darkness; a flame will dry up his stalks; at the breath of God's mouth he will go away.
31 Let him that goeth astray not trust in vanity; for vanity will be what he obtaineth thereby.
Let him not trust in useless things, deceiving himself; for uselessness will be his reward.
32 Even before his time will it be overfull, and his branches will not be green.
It will happen before his time should come to die; his branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off like the vine his unripe grapes, and cast off like the olive his blossoms.
He will drop his unripe grapes like a grapevine; he will cast off his flowers like the olive tree.
34 For the assembly of hypocrites will remain desolate, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
For the company of godless people will be barren; fire will consume their tents of bribery.
35 They conceive trouble, and bring forth wrong-doing, and their body prepareth deceit.
They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity; their womb conceives deceit.”
