Job 15

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¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

²Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?

³Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

⁴Yea, thou doest away with fear, And hinderest devotion before God.

⁵For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

⁶Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

⁷Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?

⁸Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?

⁹What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?

¹⁰With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much elder than thy father.

¹¹Are the consolations of God too small for thee, Even the word that is gentle toward thee?

¹²Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,

¹³That against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth?

¹⁴What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

¹⁵Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:

¹⁶How much less one that is abominable and corrupt, A man that drinketh iniquity like water!

¹⁷I will show thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare

¹⁸(Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;

¹⁹Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them):

²⁰The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.

²¹A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

²²He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.

²³He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

²⁴Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

²⁵Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;

²⁶He runneth upon him with astiffneck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;

²⁷Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins;

²⁸And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps;

²⁹He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.

³⁰He shall not depart out of darkness; The flame shall dry up his branches, And by the breath ofGod’smouth shall he go away.

³¹Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.

³²It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green.

³³He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.

³⁴For the company of the godless shall be barren, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

³⁵They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their heart prepareth deceit.

Job 15

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

²“Does a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill his belly with the hot east wind?

³Should he argue with useless words or speeches that serve no purpose?

⁴But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before Him.

⁵For your iniquity instructs your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.

⁶Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you; your own lips testify against you.

⁷Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?

⁸Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?

⁹What do you know that we do not? What do you understand that is not clear to us?

¹⁰Both the gray-haired and the aged are on our side— men much older than your father.

¹¹Are the consolations of God not enough for you, even words spoken gently to you?

¹²Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,

¹³as you turn your spirit against God and pour such words from your mouth?

¹⁴What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

¹⁵If God puts no trust in His holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes,

¹⁶how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?

¹⁷Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen,

¹⁸what was declared by wise men and was not concealed from their fathers,

¹⁹to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them.

²⁰A wicked man writhes in pain all his days; only a few years are reserved for the ruthless.

²¹Sounds of terror fill his ears; in his prosperity the destroyer attacks him.

²²He despairs of his return from darkness; he is marked for the sword.

²³He wanders about as food for vultures; he knows the day of darkness is at hand.

²⁴Distress and anguish terrify him, overwhelming him like a king poised to attack.

²⁵For he has stretched out his hand against God and has vaunted himself against the Almighty,

²⁶rushing headlong at Him with a thick, studded shield.

²⁷Though his face is covered with fat and his waistline bulges with flesh,

²⁸he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to become rubble.

²⁹He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land.

³⁰He will not escape from the darkness; the flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.

³¹Let him not deceive himself with trust in emptiness, for emptiness will be his reward.

³²It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.

³³He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.

³⁴For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.

³⁵They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb is pregnant with deceit.”