BBE 1 And Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said, NIV 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: BBE 2 Will a wise man make answer with knowledge of no value, or will he give birth to the east wind? NIV 2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind? BBE 3 Will he make arguments with words in which is no profit, and with sayings which have no value? NIV 3 Would they argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value? BBE 4 Truly, you make the fear of God without effect, so that the time of quiet worship before God is made less by your outcry. NIV 4 But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God. BBE 5 For your mouth is guided by your sin, and you have taken the tongue of the false for yourself. NIV 5 Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty. BBE 6 It is by your mouth, even yours, that you are judged to be in the wrong, and not by me; and your lips give witness against you. NIV 6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you. BBE 7 Were you the first man to come into the world? or did you come into being before the hills? NIV 7 “Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? BBE 8 Were you present at the secret meeting of God? and have you taken all wisdom for yourself? NIV 8 Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? BBE 9 What knowledge have you which we have not? is there anything in your mind which is not in ours? NIV 9 What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have? BBE 10 With us are men who are grey-haired and full of years, much older than your father. NIV 10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father. BBE 11 Are the comforts of God not enough for you, and the gentle word which was said to you? NIV 11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you? BBE 12 Why is your heart uncontrolled, and why are your eyes lifted up; NIV 12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, BBE 13 So that you are turning your spirit against God, and letting such words go out of your mouth? NIV 13 so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth? BBE 14 What is man, that he may be clean? and how may the son of woman be upright? NIV 14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous? BBE 15 Truly, he puts no faith in his holy ones, and the heavens are not clean in his eyes; NIV 15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, BBE 16 How much less one who is disgusting and unclean, a man who takes in evil like water! NIV 16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water! BBE 17 Take note and give ear to my words; and I will say what I have seen: NIV 17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen, BBE 18 (The things which wise men have got from their fathers, and have not kept secret from us; NIV 18 what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors BBE 19 For only to them was the land given, and no strange people were among them:) NIV 19 (to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them): BBE 20 The evil man is in pain all his days, and the number of the years stored up for the cruel is small. NIV 20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him. BBE 21 A sound of fear is in his ears; in time of peace destruction will come on him: NIV 21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him. BBE 22 He has no hope of coming safe out of the dark, and his fate will be the sword; NIV 22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness; he is marked for the sword. BBE 23 He is wandering about in search of bread, saying, Where is it? and he is certain that the day of trouble is ready for him: NIV 23 He wanders about for food like a vulture; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. BBE 24 He is greatly in fear of the dark day, trouble and pain overcome him: NIV 24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror; troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack, BBE 25 Because his hand is stretched out against God, and his heart is lifted up against the Ruler of all, NIV 25 because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, BBE 26 Running against him like a man of war, covered by his thick breastplate; even like a king ready for the fight, NIV 26 defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield. BBE 27 Because his face is covered with fat, and his body has become thick; NIV 27 “Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh, BBE 28 And he has made his resting-place in the towns which have been pulled down, in houses where no man had a right to be, whose fate was to become masses of broken walls. NIV 28 he will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to rubble. BBE 29 He does not get wealth for himself, and is unable to keep what he has got; the heads of his grain are not bent down to the earth. NIV 29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land. BBE 30 He does not come out of the dark; his branches are burned by the flame, and the wind takes away his bud. NIV 30 He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away. BBE 31 Let him not put his hope in what is false, falling into error: for he will get deceit as his reward. NIV 31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return. BBE 32 His branch is cut off before its time, and his leaf is no longer green. NIV 32 Before his time he will wither, and his branches will not flourish. BBE 33 He is like a vine whose grapes do not come to full growth, or an olive-tree dropping its flowers. NIV 33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms. BBE 34 For the band of the evil-doers gives no fruit, and the tents of those who give wrong decisions for reward are burned with fire. NIV 34 For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes. BBE 35 Evil has made them with child, and they give birth to trouble; and the fruit of their body is shame for themselves. NIV 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb fashions deceit.”
NIV 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: NIV 2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind? NIV 3 Would they argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value? NIV 4 But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God. NIV 5 Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty. NIV 6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you. NIV 7 “Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? NIV 8 Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? NIV 9 What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have? NIV 10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father. NIV 11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you? NIV 12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, NIV 13 so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth? NIV 14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous? NIV 15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, NIV 16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water! NIV 17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen, NIV 18 what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors NIV 19 (to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them): NIV 20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him. NIV 21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him. NIV 22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness; he is marked for the sword. NIV 23 He wanders about for food like a vulture; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. NIV 24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror; troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack, NIV 25 because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, NIV 26 defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield. NIV 27 “Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh, NIV 28 he will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to rubble. NIV 29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land. NIV 30 He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away. NIV 31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return. NIV 32 Before his time he will wither, and his branches will not flourish. NIV 33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms. NIV 34 For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes. NIV 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb fashions deceit.”