Eliphaz Accuses Job of Folly

15 Then (A)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

“Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge,
And fill [a]himself with the east wind?
Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
Yes, you cast off fear,
And restrain [b]prayer before God.
For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
(B)Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
Yes, your own lips testify against you.

Are you the first man who was born?
(C)Or were you made before the hills?
(D)Have you heard the counsel of God?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
(E)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not in us?
10 (F)Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us,
Much older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you,
And the word spoken [c]gently with you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away,
And [d]what do your eyes wink at,
13 That you turn your spirit against God,
And let such words go out of your mouth?

14 “What(G) is man, that he could be pure?
And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
15 (H)If God puts no trust in His saints,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
16 (I)How much less man, who is abominable and filthy,
(J)Who drinks iniquity like water!

17 “I will tell you, hear me;
What I have seen I will declare,
18 What wise men have told,
Not hiding anything received (K)from their fathers,
19 To whom alone the [e]land was given,
And (L)no alien passed among them:
20 The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
(M)And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.
21 [f]Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
(N)In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will (O)return from darkness,
For a sword is waiting for him.
23 He (P)wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?
He knows (Q)that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Trouble and anguish make him afraid;
They overpower him, like a king ready for [g]battle.
25 For he stretches out his hand against God,
And acts defiantly against the Almighty,
26 Running stubbornly against Him
With his strong, embossed shield.

27 “Though(R) he has covered his face with his fatness,
And made his waist heavy with fat,
28 He dwells in desolate cities,
In houses which no one inhabits,
Which are destined to become ruins.
29 He will not be rich,
Nor will his wealth (S)continue,
Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
30 He will not depart from darkness;
The flame will dry out his branches,
And (T)by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
31 Let him not (U)trust in futile things, deceiving himself,
For futility will be his reward.
32 It will be accomplished (V)before his time,
And his branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine,
And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
34 For the company of hypocrites will be barren,
And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 (W)They conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
Their womb prepares deceit.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 15:2 Lit. his belly
  2. Job 15:4 meditation or complaint
  3. Job 15:11 Or a secret thing
  4. Job 15:12 Or why do your eyes flash
  5. Job 15:19 Or earth
  6. Job 15:21 Terrifying
  7. Job 15:24 attack

15 Then answered Eliphaz the Temani, and said,

Should a chacham (wise man) utter vain knowledge, and fill his inner being with the east wind?

Should he reason with unprofitable davar (talk)? Or with speeches wherewith no good is done?

Yea, thou makest void yireh [Elohim], and doth diminish si’akh (meditation) before El.

For thy mouth uttereth thine avon, and thou choosest the leshon arumim (tongue of the crafty).

Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and loh Ani (not I); yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

Art thou harishon adam (the first man) that was born? Or wast thou made before the hills?

Hast thou attended to the sod Eloah (counsel of G-d)? And dost thou limit chochmah to thyself?

Of what dost thou have da’as, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?

10 Both the grayheaded and very aged men are among us, much elder than avicha.

11 Are the tanechumot El (consolations of G-d) not enough for thee? Or the davar that deals gently with thee?

12 Why doth thine lev carry thee away? And why do thy eyes flash,

13 That thou ventest thy ruach against El (G-d), and lettest such words pour out of thy mouth?

14 What is enosh, that he should be pure [in the sight of Hashem]? And he which is born of an isha, that yitzdak (he should be in the right)?

15 If He trusteth not His Kadoshim; yea, Shomayim is not pure in His eyes.

16 How much more vile and corrupt is ish, which drinketh iniquity like mayim?

17 I will show thee, shema to me; and that which I have seen I will declare;

18 Things which chachamim declare from their avot without concealment;

19 Unto whom alone ha’aretz was given, and no zar passed among them.

20 The reshah travaileth with pain all his yamim, and numbered shanim are reserved for the oppressor.

21 A dreadful sound is in his oznayim; during shalom the shoded (destroyer) shall come upon him.

22 He believeth not in a return from choshech, and he is marked for the cherev.

23 He wandereth about after lechem, saying, Where is it? He has da’as the Yom Choshech is near at hand for him.

24 Distress and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall seize him as a melech poised for battle.

25 For he stretcheth out his yad against El (G-d), and with insolence vaunts himself against Shaddai.

26 He charges against Him, with a stiff neck, with the thick bosses of his mogen (shield);

27 Though he covereth his panim with his fatness, and addeth fat on his flanks;

28 And he dwelleth in desolate towns, and in batim (houses) which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to crumble to rubble.

29 He shall not be osher, neither shall his substance continue; neither shall their possessions spread over ha’aretz.

30 He shall not escape from choshech; the flame shall wither his branches, and in the ruach of his mouth shall he perish.

31 Let not him that is deceived trust in shav (vanity); for shav shall be his recompense.

32 His Yom is not yet; then it is accomplished, and his branch shall not flourish.

33 He shall shake off his unripe grape like the gefen, and shall cast off his blossom like the zayit (olive tree).

34 For the Adat Chanef (congregation of hypocrites) shall be barren, and eish shall consume the ohalim of bribery.

35 They conceive amal (trouble), and give birth to evil, and their belly worketh mirmar (deceit).

15 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.