Job 15
American Standard Version
15 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Should a wise man make answer with [a]vain knowledge,
And fill himself with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
4 Yea, thou doest away with fear,
And [b]hinderest [c]devotion before God.
5 For [d]thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth,
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 brought forth before the hills?
8 [e]Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God?
And dost thou limit 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 the very aged men,
Much elder than thy father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for thee,
[f]Even the word that is gentle toward thee?
12 Why doth thy heart carry thee away?
And why do thine eyes flash,
13 That against God thou turnest thy spirit,
And lettest words go out of thy mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be clean?
And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones;
Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:
16 How much less [g]one that is abominable and corrupt,
A man that drinketh iniquity like water!
17 I will show thee, hear thou 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 land was given,
And no stranger passed among them):
20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days,
[h]Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 A sound of terrors 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 Distress and anguish make him afraid;
They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25 Because he hath stretched out his hand against God,
And [i]behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;
26 He runneth upon him with a stiff neck,
[j]With the thick bosses of his bucklers;
27 Because he hath covered his face with his fatness,
And gathered fat upon his loins;
28 And he hath dwelt in [k]desolate cities,
In houses which no man [l]inhabited,
Which were ready to become heaps;
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue,
Neither shall [m]their possessions be extended on the earth.
30 He shall not depart out of darkness;
The flame shall dry up his branches,
And by the breath of [n]God’s mouth shall he go away.
31 Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself;
For vanity shall be his recompense.
32 It shall be [o]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-tree.
34 For the company of the godless shall be barren,
And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity,
And their heart prepareth deceit.
Footnotes
- Job 15:2 Hebrew knowledge of wind.
- Job 15:4 Hebrew diminishest.
- Job 15:4 Or, meditation
- Job 15:5 Or, thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity
- Job 15:8 Or, Dost thou hearken in the council
- Job 15:11 Or, Or is there any secret thing with thee?
- Job 15:16 Or, that which is
- Job 15:20 Or, And years that are numbered are laid up etc.
- Job 15:25 Or, biddeth defiance to
- Job 15:26 Or, Upon
- Job 15:28 Hebrew cut off.
- Job 15:28 Or, would inhabit
- Job 15:29 Or, their produce bend to the earth
- Job 15:30 Hebrew his.
- Job 15:32 Or, paid in full
Job 15
English Standard Version
Eliphaz Accuses: Job Does Not Fear God
15 Then (A)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “Should (B)a wise man answer with (C)windy knowledge,
and fill his (D)belly with (E)the east wind?
3 Should he argue in unprofitable talk,
or in words with which he can do no good?
4 But you are doing away with the fear of God[a]
and hindering meditation before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your (F)own mouth condemns you, and not I;
(G)your own lips testify against you.
7 (H)“Are you the first man who was born?
Or (I)were you brought forth (J)before the hills?
8 Have you listened in (K)the council of God?
And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 (L)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 (M)Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
older than your father.
11 Are the comforts of God too small for you,
or the word that deals gently with you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 that you turn your (N)spirit against God
and bring such words out of your mouth?
14 (O)What is man, (P)that he can be pure?
Or he who is (Q)born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
15 Behold, God[b] (R)puts no trust in his (S)holy ones,
and the heavens are not pure in his sight;
16 (T)how much less one who is abominable and (U)corrupt,
a man who (V)drinks injustice like water!
17 “I will show you; hear me,
and what I have seen I will declare
18 (what wise men have told,
without hiding it (W)from their fathers,
19 to whom alone the land was given,
and no (X)stranger passed among them).
20 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days,
through all the (Y)years that are laid up for (Z)the ruthless.
21 (AA)Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
in (AB)prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will return out of darkness,
and he is marked for the sword.
23 He (AC)wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand;
24 distress and anguish terrify him;
they (AD)prevail against him, like a king ready for battle.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God
and defies the Almighty,
26 (AE)running (AF)stubbornly against him
with a thickly bossed shield;
27 because he has (AG)covered his face with his fat
and gathered fat upon his waist
28 and has lived in desolate cities,
in houses that none should inhabit,
which were ready to become heaps of ruins;
29 he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure,
nor will his possessions spread over the earth;[c]
30 he will not depart from darkness;
the flame will dry up his shoots,
and by (AH)the breath of his mouth he will depart.
31 Let him not (AI)trust in emptiness, deceiving himself,
for emptiness will be his payment.
32 It will be paid in full (AJ)before his time,
and his branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine,
and cast off his blossom like the olive tree.
34 For (AK)the company of the godless is barren,
and (AL)fire consumes the tents of bribery.
35 They (AM)conceive trouble and give birth to evil,
and their (AN)womb prepares deceit.”
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
