Job 15 (New American Standard)

Eliphaz Says Job Presumes Much

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite ^aresponded , 2 "Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge ¹And fill ^bhimself with the east wind ? 3 "Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which are not profitable ? 4 "Indeed, you do away with ^creverence And hinder meditation before God. 5 "For ²your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of ³the crafty. 6 "Your ⁴own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you. 7 "Were you the first man to be born, Or ⁵were you brought forth before the hills ? 8 "Do you hear the ⁶secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself? 9 "⁷What do you know that we do not know ? What do you understand that ^dwe do not? 10 "Both the ⁸gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father. 11 "Are ⁹the consolations of God too small for you, Even the ¹⁰word spoken gently with you? 12 "Why does your ¹¹heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash, 13 That you should turn your spirit against God And allow such words to go out of your mouth ? 14 "What is man, that ¹²he should be pure, Or ¹³he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous ? 15 "Behold, He puts no trust in His ¹⁴holy ones, And the ¹⁵heavens are not pure in His sight ; 16 How much less one who is ¹⁶detestable and corrupt, Man, who ¹⁷drinks iniquity like water !

What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life

17 "I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare ; 18 What wise men have told, And have not concealed from ¹⁸their fathers, 19 To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them. 20 "The wicked man writhes ¹⁹in pain all his days, And ^enumbered are the years ²⁰stored up for the ruthless. 21 "^fSounds of ²¹terror are in his ears ; ²²While at peace the destroyer comes upon him. 22 "He does not believe that he will ²³return from darkness, And he is destined for ²⁴the sword. 23 "He wanders about for food, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that a day of ²⁵darkness is ^gat hand. 24 "Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack, 25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God And conducts himself ²⁶arrogantly against ^hthe Almighty. 26 "He rushes ⁱheadlong at Him With ^jhis massive shield. 27 "For he has ²⁷covered his face with his fat And made his thighs heavy with flesh. 28 "He has ²⁸lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ^kruins. 29 "He ²⁹will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure ; And his grain will not bend down to the ground. 30 "He will ³⁰not ^lescape from darkness ; The ³¹flame will wither his shoots, And by ³²the breath of His mouth he will go away. 31 "Let him not ³³trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his ^mreward. 32 "It will be accomplished ³⁴before his time, And his palm ³⁵branch will not be green. 33 "He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will ³⁶cast off his flower like the olive tree. 34 "For the company of ³⁷the godless is barren, And fire consumes ³⁸the tents of ⁿthe corrupt. 35 "They ³⁹conceive ^omischief and bring forth iniquity, And their ^pmind prepares deception."