55 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.

² Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;

³ Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.

⁴ My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

⁵ Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.

⁶ And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.

⁷ Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.

⁸ I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

⁹ Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰ Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.

¹¹ Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.

¹² For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

¹³ But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

¹⁴ We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

¹⁵ Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

15 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

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

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

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

⁵ For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

⁶ Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

⁷ Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

²¹ A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

²² He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.

²³ He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

³² It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.

³³ He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

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

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

²⁷ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

²⁸ But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

²⁹ And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³⁰ And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³¹ It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

³² But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

³³ Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

³⁴ But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

³⁵ Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

³⁶ Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.