Job 15
Legacy Standard Bible
Eliphaz Says Job’s Lips Answer Against Him
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge
(A)And fill his belly with the east wind?
3 Should he argue with a word that cannot be used,
Or with speech which is not profitable?
4 Indeed, you annul reverent fear
And cut off musing before God.
5 For (B)your iniquity teaches your mouth,
And you choose the tongue of (C)the crafty.
6 Your (D)own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips answer against you.
7 “Were you the first man to be born,
Or (E)were you brought forth before the hills?
8 Do you hear the (F)secret counsel of God,
And cut down wisdom only unto yourself?
9 (G)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not with us?
10 Both the (H)gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Older than your father.
11 Are (I)the consolations of God too small for you,
Even the (J)word spoken gently with you?
12 Why does your (K)heart take 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 (L)he should be pure,
Or (M)he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, He puts no faith in His (N)holy ones,
And the (O)heavens are not pure in His sight;
16 How much less one who is (P)abominable and corrupt,
Man, who (Q)drinks [a]unrighteousness like water!
17 “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have beheld I will also recount;
18 What wise men have told,
And have not concealed from (R)their fathers,
19 To whom alone the land was given,
And no stranger passed among them.
20 The wicked man writhes (S)in pain all his days,
And [b]numbered are the years (T)stored up for the ruthless.
21 [c]Sounds of (U)dread are in his ears;
(V)While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will (W)return from darkness,
And he is destined for (X)the sword.
23 He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of (Y)darkness is ready at his 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 (Z)magnifies himself against [d]the Almighty.
26 He rushes [e]headlong at Him
With [f]his massive shield.
27 For he has (AA)covered his face with his fat
And made his thighs heavy with flesh.
28 He has (AB)dwelt in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become [g]ruins.
29 He (AC)will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his grain will not stretch out over the land.
30 He will (AD)not be able to [h]depart from darkness;
The (AE)flame will wither his shoots,
And by (AF)the breath of His mouth he will depart.
31 Let him not (AG)believe in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his [i]reward,
32 When (AH)his days are not yet fulfilled,
And his palm (AI)branch is not green.
33 He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine,
And will (AJ)cast off his flower like the olive tree.
34 For the company of (AK)the godless is barren,
And fire consumes (AL)the tents of [j]the corrupt.
35 They (AM)conceive [k]trouble and give birth to wickedness,
And their [l]belly prepares deception.”
Footnotes
- Job 15:16 Or injustice
- Job 15:20 Lit the number of years are
- Job 15:21 Lit A sound of dreads
- Job 15:25 Heb Shaddai
- Job 15:26 Lit with a stiff neck
- Job 15:26 Lit the thick-bossed shields
- Job 15:28 Or heaps
- Job 15:30 Lit turn aside
- Job 15:31 Lit exchange
- Job 15:34 Lit a bribe
- Job 15:35 Or pain, mischief
- Job 15:35 Or mind
Job 15
Christian Standard Bible
Second Series of Speeches
Eliphaz Speaks
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2 Does a wise man answer with empty[a] counsel(A)
or fill himself[b] with the hot east wind?
3 Should he argue(B) with useless talk
or with words that serve no good purpose?
4 But you even undermine the fear of God
and hinder meditation before him.
5 Your iniquity(C) teaches you what to say,
and you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I;
your own lips testify against you.(D)
7 Were you the first human ever born,
or were you brought forth before the hills?(E)
8 Do you listen in on the council of God,
or have a monopoly on wisdom?(F)
9 What do you know that we don’t?
What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 Both the gray-haired and the elderly are with us—
older than your father.
11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you,
even the words that deal gently with you?
12 Why has your heart misled you,
and why do your eyes flash
13 as you turn your anger[c] against God
and allow such words to leave your mouth?
14 What is a mere human, that he should be pure,(G)
or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 If God puts no trust in his holy ones(H)
and the heavens are not pure in his sight,(I)
16 how much less one who is revolting and corrupt,(J)
who drinks injustice(K) like water?
17 Listen to me and I will inform you.
I will describe what I have seen,
18 what the wise have declared and not concealed,
that came from their ancestors,(L)
19 to whom alone the land was given
when no foreigner passed among them.
20 A wicked person writhes in pain all his days,
throughout the number of years reserved for the ruthless.
21 Dreadful sounds fill his ears;
when he is at peace, a robber attacks him.
22 He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness;
he is destined for the sword.(M)
23 He wanders about for food, asking, “Where is it?”
He knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Trouble(N) and distress terrify him,
overwhelming him like a king prepared for battle.
25 For he has stretched out his hand(O) against God
and has arrogantly opposed the Almighty.
26 He rushes headlong at him
with his thick, studded shields.
27 Though his face is covered with fat[d]
and his waistline bulges with it,
28 he will dwell in ruined cities,
in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble.(P)
29 He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure.
His possessions[e] will not increase in the land.
30 He will not escape from the darkness;
flames will wither his shoots,
and by the breath of God’s mouth, he will depart.(Q)
31 Let him not put trust in worthless things, being led astray,
for what he gets in exchange will prove worthless.
32 It will be accomplished before his time,
and his branch will not flourish.
33 He will be like a vine that drops its unripe grapes(R)
and like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless(S) will have no children,
and fire will consume the tents of those who offer bribes.
35 They conceive trouble(T) and give birth to evil;
their womb(U) prepares deception.(V)
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