Job 15

¹But Eliphaz the Themanite, answering, said:

²Will a wise man answer as if he were speaking wind, and will he fill his stomach with fire?

³You rebuke with words he who is not equal to you, and you speak what is not expedient for you,

⁴to such an extent that, within yourself, you have expelled reverence and have taken away prayers from the presence of God.

⁵For your iniquity has mislead your mouth, and you imitate the tongue of blasphemers.

⁶Your own mouth will condemn you, not I; and your own lips will answer you.

⁷Are you the first man who was born, or were you formed before the hills?

⁸Have you heard the intentions of God, and will his wisdom be inferior to you?

⁹What do you know, about which we are ignorant? What do you understand that we do not know?

¹⁰There are with us both aged and ancient men, even more senior than your fathers.

¹¹Is it so important that God should console you? But your own depraved words prevent this.

¹²Why does your heart exalt you, and why do you gaze with your eyes, as if thinking great things?

¹³Why does your spirit stir against God, so as to utter such speeches from your mouth?

¹⁴What is man that he should be immaculate, and that he should appear just, having been born of woman?

¹⁵Behold, among his holy ones not one is immutable, and even the heavens are not pure in his sight.

¹⁶How much more abominable and useless is the man who drinks as if from the water of iniquity?

¹⁷I will reveal to you, so listen to me; and I will explain to you what I have seen.

¹⁸The wise acknowledge, and they do not leave behind, their fathers,

¹⁹to whom alone the earth has been given, and no stranger passed among them.

²⁰The impious is arrogant for all his days, and the number of the years of his tyranny is uncertain.

²¹The sound of terror is always in his ears; and when there is peace, he always suspects treason.

²²He does not believe that it is possible for him to be turned from darkness into the light, for he sees around him the sword on every side.

²³When he moves himself to seek bread, he knows that the day of darkness has been prepared for his hand.

²⁴Tribulation will terrify him, and anguish will prevail over him, like a king who is being prepared to go to battle.

²⁵For he has extended his hand against God, and he has strengthened himself against the Almighty.

²⁶He has rushed against him with his throat exposed, and he has been armed with a fat neck.

²⁷Thickness has covered his face, and lard hangs down from his sides.

²⁸He has lived in desolate cities and deserted houses, which have been turned into tombs.

²⁹He will not be enriched, nor will his basic necessities endure, nor will he establish his root in the earth.

³⁰He will not withdraw from the darkness; the flame will burn up his branches, and he will be defeated by the breath of his own mouth.

³¹He will not believe, being vainly deceived by error, that he could be redeemed at any price.

³²Before his time is completed, he will pass into ruin and his hands will wither away.

³³He will be wounded like a grapevine, when its cluster is in first flower, and like an olive tree that casts off its flower.

³⁴For the congregation of the hypocrites is fruitless, and fire will devour the tabernacles of those who love to accept money.

³⁵He has conceived sorrow, and he has brought forth iniquity, and his womb prepares deceit.

Job 15

¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

²Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?

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

⁴Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.

⁵For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, 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 made before the hills?

⁸Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

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

¹⁰With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.

¹¹Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?

¹²Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,

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

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

¹⁵Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

¹⁶How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?

¹⁷I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;

¹⁸Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:

¹⁹Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

²⁰The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.

²¹A dreadful sound 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.

²⁴Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

²⁵For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.

²⁶He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:

²⁷Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.

²⁸And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.

²⁹He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.

³⁰He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.

³¹Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

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.

³⁴For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

³⁵They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.