Job 4
Lexham English Bible
Eliphaz’s First Response to Job
4 Then[a] Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “If someone would test a word with you, would you be offended?
But[b] who can refrain from speaking?
3 Look, you have instructed many,
and you have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have raised up the one who stumbles,
and you have strengthened knees giving way.
5 But now it has come to you, and you are worn out;
it touches you, and you are horrified.
6 Is not your fear in God your confidence?
Is not your hope even[c] the integrity of your ways?
7 “Think[d] now, who has perished who is innocent?
Or[e] where are the upright destroyed?
8 Just as I have seen, plowers of mischief
and sowers of trouble will reap it.
9 By[f] the breath of God they perish,
and by[g] the blast of his anger they come to an end.
10 The roar of the lion and the voice of a lion in its prime,
and the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11 The lion is perishing without[h] prey,
and the lion’s whelps are scattered.
12 “And a word came stealing to me,
and my ear received the whisper from it.
13 Amid troubling thoughts from night visions,
at the falling of deep sleep on men,
14 dread met me, and trembling,
and it made many of my bones shake.
15 And a spirit glided before my face;
the hair of my flesh[i] bristled.
16 It stood still, but[j] I could not recognize its appearance;
a form was before[k] my eyes;
there was a hush, and I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can a human being be more righteous than God,
or can a man be more pure than his Maker?
18 Look, he does not trust in his servants
and he charges his angels with error.
19 How much more dwellers in clay houses,
whose foundation is in the dust?
They are crushed like a moth.
20 Between morning and evening[l] they are destroyed;
without anyone regarding it they perish forever.
21 Is not their tent cord pulled up within them?
They die, but[m] not in[n] wisdom.’
Footnotes
- Job 4:1 Hebrew “And”
- Job 4:2 Hebrew “And”
- Job 4:6 Hebrew “and”
- Job 4:7 Literally “Remember”
- Job 4:7 Hebrew “And”
- Job 4:9 Or “From”
- Job 4:9 Or “from”
- Job 4:11 Or “from lack of”
- Job 4:15 Or “body”
- Job 4:16 Hebrew “and”
- Job 4:16 Literally “to before”
- Job 4:20 Literally “from morning to the evening”
- Job 4:21 Hebrew “and”
- Job 4:21 Or “with”
Job 4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Eliphaz Speaks: Job Has Sinned
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended?
But who can keep from speaking?(A)
3 See, you have instructed many;
you have strengthened the weak hands.(B)
4 Your words have supported those who were stumbling,
and you have made firm the feeble knees.(C)
5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
it touches you, and you are dismayed.(D)
6 Is not your fear of God your confidence
and the integrity of your ways your hope?(E)
7 “Think now, who that was innocent ever perished?
Or where were the upright cut off?(F)
8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity
and sow trouble reap the same.(G)
9 By the breath of God they perish,
and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.(H)
10 The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion,
and the teeth of the young lions are broken.(I)
11 The strong lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the whelps of the lioness are scattered.(J)
12 “Now a word came stealing to me;
my ear received the whisper of it.(K)
13 Amid thoughts from visions of the night,
when deep sleep falls on mortals,
14 dread came upon me and trembling,
which made all my bones shake.(L)
15 A spirit glided past my face;
the hair of my flesh bristled.
16 It stood still,
but I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
there was silence; then I heard a voice:
17 ‘Can mortals be righteous before[a] God?
Can humans be pure before[b] their Maker?(M)
18 Even in his servants he puts no trust,
and his angels he charges with error;(N)
19 how much more those who live in houses of clay,
whose foundation is in the dust,
who are crushed like a moth.(O)
20 Between morning and evening they are destroyed;
they perish forever without any regarding it.(P)
21 Their tent cord is plucked up within them,
and they die devoid of wisdom.’(Q)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.