Job 4

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

²If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?

³Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

⁴Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

⁵But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

⁶Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

⁷Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

⁸Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

⁹By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

¹⁰The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

¹¹The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.

¹²Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.

¹³In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,

¹⁴Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.

¹⁵Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:

¹⁶It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

¹⁷Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

¹⁸Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

¹⁹How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

²⁰They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

²¹Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

¹And Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said,

²If one says a word, will it be a weariness to you? but who is able to keep from saying what is in his mind?

³Truly, you have been a helper to others, and you have made feeble hands strong;

⁴He who was near to falling has been lifted up by your words, and you have given strength to bent knees.

⁵But now it has come on you and it is a weariness to you; you are touched by it and your mind is troubled.

⁶Is not your fear of God your support, and your upright way of life your hope?

⁷Have you ever seen destruction come to an upright man? or when were the god-fearing ever cut off?

⁸What I have seen is that those by whom trouble has been ploughed, and evil planted, get the same for themselves.

⁹By the breath of God destruction takes them, and by the wind of his wrath they are cut off.

¹⁰Though the noise of the lion and the sounding of his voice, may be loud, the teeth of the young lions are broken.

¹¹The old lion comes to his end for need of food, and the young of the she-lion go wandering in all directions.

¹²A word was given to me secretly, and the low sound of it came to my ears.

¹³In troubled thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep comes on men,

¹⁴Fear came on me and shaking, and my bones were full of trouble;

¹⁵And a breath was moving over my face; the hair of my flesh became stiff:

¹⁶Something was present before me, but I was not able to see it clearly; there was a form before my eyes: a quiet voice came to my ears, saying:

¹⁷May a man be upright before God? or a man be clean before his Maker?

¹⁸Truly, he puts no faith in his servants, and he sees error in his angels;

¹⁹How much more those living in houses of earth, whose bases are in the dust! They are crushed more quickly than an insect;

²⁰Between morning and evening they are completely broken; they come to an end for ever, and no one takes note.

²¹If their tent-cord is pulled up, do they not come to an end, and without wisdom?