Job 15

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¹Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:

²Should a wise man answer with arguments of wind, Or fill his bosom with the east wind?

³Should he argue with speech that helpeth him not, And with words which do not profit him?

⁴Behold, thou makest the fear of God a vain thing, And discouragest prayer before him.

⁵Yea, thy own mouth proclaimeth thy iniquity, Though thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

⁶Thy own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Thy own lips testify against thee.

⁷Art thou the first man that was born? Wast thou formed before the hills?

⁸Hast thou listened in the council of God, And drawn all wisdom to thyself?

⁹What dost thou know, that we know not also? What dost thou understand, that is a secret to us?

¹⁰With us are the aged and hoary-headed; Much older than thy father.

¹¹Dost thou despise the consolations of God, And words so full of kindness to thee?

¹²Why hath thy passion taken possession of thee? And why this winking of thine eyes?

¹³For against God hast thou turned thy spirit, And uttered such words from thy mouth.

¹⁴What is man, that he should be pure, And he that is born of woman, that he should be innocent?

¹⁵Behold, He putteth no trust in his ministering spirits, And the heavens are not pure in his sight;

¹⁶Much less, abominable and polluted man, Who drinketh iniquity as water.

¹⁷Hear me, and I will show thee, And that which I have seen will I declare;

¹⁸Which the wise men have told, And not kept concealed, as received from their fathers;

¹⁹To whom alone the land was given, And among whom not a stranger wandered.

²⁰"All his days the wicked man is in pain; Yea, all the years, that are laid up for the oppressor.

²¹A fearful sound is in his ears; In peace the destroyer cometh upon him.

²²He hath no hope that he shall escape from darkness; He is set apart for the sword.

²³He wandereth about, seeking bread; He knoweth that a day of darkness is at hand.

²⁴Distress and anguish fill him with dread; They prevail against him like a king ready for the battle.

²⁵Because he stretched forth his hand against God, And bade defiance to the Almighty,

²⁶And ran against him with outstretched neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;

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

²⁸And dwelt in desolated cities, In houses which no man inhabiteth, That are ready to become heaps.

²⁹He shall not be rich; his substance shall not endure, And his possessions shall not be extended upon the earth.

³⁰He shall not escape from darkness, And the flame shall dry up his branches; Yea, by the breath of His mouth shall he be taken away.

³¹"Let not man trust in vanity! he will be deceived; For vanity shall be his recompense.

³²He shall come to his end before his time, And his branch shall not be green.

³³He shall shake off his unripe fruit like the vine, And shed his blossoms like the olive-tree.

³⁴The house of the unrighteous shall be famished, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

³⁵They conceive mischief, and bring forth misery, And their breast deviseth 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.