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Job 15
Modern English Version
Job 15
Modern English Version
Eliphaz Speaks: Job Does Not Fear God
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Should a wise man reply with empty knowledge
and fill his lungs with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk
or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4 Yes, you cast off reverence
and hinder prayer before God.
5 For your mouth utters your iniquity,
and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 “Are you the first man who was born?
Or were you made before the hills?
8 Have you heard the counsel of God?
And do you restrict wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not in us?
10 Both the gray-haired and very aged are among us—
much older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you?
Or the word spoken gently to you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away?
And 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 is man that he should be pure?
And he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones,
and the heavens are not pure in His sight.
16 How much more abhorred and corrupt is man,
who drinks iniquity like water!
17 “I will tell you; hear me,
and what I have seen I will declare,
18 what wise men have told,
not hiding anything received from their fathers,
19 to whom alone the land was given,
and no foreigner passed among them:
20 The wicked man travails with pain all his days,
and numbered are the years stored up for the oppressor.
21 A dreadful sound is in his ears;
in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
and a sword awaits him.
23 He wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Trouble and anguish will make him afraid;
they will prevail against him as a king ready to the battle.
25 For he stretches out his hand against God,
and strengthens himself against the Almighty.
26 He rushes upon Him, even on His neck,
with his thick embossed shield.
27 “He has covered his face with his fatness
and gathered fat upon his waist.
28 He dwells in desolate cities
and in houses which no man inhabits,
which are ready to become heaps.
29 He will not be rich, nor will his wealth continue,
nor will his possessions spread over the earth.
30 He will not depart out of darkness;
the flame will dry out his branches,
and by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
31 Let him who is deceived not trust in futility,
for futility will be his reward.
32 It will be accomplished before his time,
and his branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine,
and will cast off his blossom like the olive.
34 For the company of hypocrites will be desolate,
and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and give birth to futility;
their womb prepares deceit.”
Job 15
New King James Version
Job 15
New King James Version
Eliphaz Accuses Job of Folly
15 Then (A)Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge,
And fill [a]himself with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
4 Yes, you cast off fear,
And restrain [b]prayer before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 (B)Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
Yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 “Are you the first man who was born?
(C)Or were you made before the hills?
8 (D)Have you heard the counsel of God?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 (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.”
Job 15
International Children’s Bible
Job 15
International Children’s Bible
Eliphaz Answers Job
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “A wise man would not answer with empty words.
He would not fill his stomach with hot, east wind.
3 He would not argue with useless words.
He would not make speeches that have no value.
4 But you even break down the worship of God.
You stand in the way of those who pray to him.
5 Your sin teaches your mouth what to say.
You use the same words as people who trick others.
6 It is your own mouth, not mine, that shows you are wicked.
Your own lips speak as a witness against you.
7 “You are not the first man ever born.
You were not born before the hills were made.
8 You cannot listen in on God’s secret advice.
You cannot limit wisdom to yourself.
9 You don’t know any more than we know.
You don’t understand any more than we understand.
10 Old people with gray hair are on our side.
They are men even older than your father.
11 The comfort God gives you is not enough for you,
even when words are spoken gently to you.
12 Your heart has carried you away from God.
Your eyes flash with anger.
13 You speak out your anger against God.
And these words pour out of your mouth.
14 “How can man be pure?
How can a person born to a woman be good?
15 God places no trust in his holy ones.
Even the heavens are not pure in his eyes.
16 And man is even less than they are. He is terrible and rotten.
He drinks up evil as if it were water!
17 “Job, listen to me, and I will tell you about it.
I will tell you what I have seen.
18 These are things wise men have told.
Their ancestors told them these things, and they have hidden nothing.
19 (The land was given to their fathers only.
No foreigner lived among them.)
20 The evil man suffers pain all his life.
The cruel man suffers during all the years saved up for him.
21 Terrible sounds fill his ears.
When things seem to be going well, robbers attack him.
22 The evil person gives up trying to escape from the darkness.
It has been decided that he will die by the sword.
23 He wanders around. He will become food for vultures.
He knows death will soon come.
24 Worry and suffering terrify him.
They overwhelm him. They seem like a king ready to attack.
25 This is because he shakes his fist at God.
He tries to get his own way against God All-Powerful.
26 He stubbornly charges at God
with a thick, strong shield.
27 “The evil person’s face is covered with fat.
His waist is fat with flesh.
28 He will live in towns that are ruined.
He will live in houses where no one lives.
They are houses that are crumbling into ruins.
29 The evil person will no longer get rich.
And the riches he has will not last.
The things he owns will no longer spread over the land.
30 He will not escape the darkness.
A flame will dry up his branches.
God’s breath will carry that evil person away.
31 The evil person should not fool himself by trusting what is useless.
If he does, he will get nothing in return.
32 His branch will dry up before it finishes growing.
It will not even become green.
33 He will be like a vine whose grapes are pulled off before they are ripe.
He will be like an olive tree that loses its blossoms.
34 People without God can produce nothing.
Fire will destroy the tents of people who take money to do evil.
35 They plan trouble and give birth to evil.
Their hearts plan ways to trick people.”
Job 15
New International Version
Job 15
New International Version
Eliphaz
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite(A) replied:
2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions
or fill their belly with the hot east wind?(B)
3 Would they argue with useless words,
with speeches that have no value?(C)
4 But you even undermine piety
and hinder devotion to God.(D)
5 Your sin(E) prompts your mouth;(F)
you adopt the tongue of the crafty.(G)
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;
your own lips testify against you.(H)
7 “Are you the first man ever born?(I)
Were you brought forth before the hills?(J)
8 Do you listen in on God’s council?(K)
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?(L)
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insights do you have that we do not have?(M)
10 The gray-haired and the aged(N) are on our side,
men even older than your father.(O)
11 Are God’s consolations(P) not enough for you,
words(Q) spoken gently to you?(R)
12 Why has your heart(S) carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
13 so that you vent your rage(T) against God
and pour out such words(U) from your mouth?(V)
14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure,
or those born of woman,(W) that they could be righteous?(X)
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones,(Y)
if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,(Z)
16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,(AA)
who drink up evil(AB) like water!(AC)
17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you;
let me tell you what I have seen,(AD)
18 what the wise have declared,
hiding nothing received from their ancestors(AE)
19 (to whom alone the land(AF) was given
when no foreigners moved among them):
20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment,(AG)
the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.(AH)
21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears;(AI)
when all seems well, marauders attack him.(AJ)
22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness;(AK)
he is marked for the sword.(AL)
23 He wanders about(AM) for food like a vulture;(AN)
he knows the day of darkness(AO) is at hand.(AP)
24 Distress and anguish(AQ) fill him with terror;(AR)
troubles overwhelm him, like a king(AS) poised to attack,
25 because he shakes his fist(AT) at God
and vaunts himself against the Almighty,(AU)
26 defiantly charging against him
with a thick, strong shield.(AV)
27 “Though his face is covered with fat
and his waist bulges with flesh,(AW)
28 he will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,(AX)
houses crumbling to rubble.(AY)
29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure,(AZ)
nor will his possessions spread over the land.(BA)
30 He will not escape the darkness;(BB)
a flame(BC) will wither his shoots,(BD)
and the breath of God’s mouth(BE) will carry him away.(BF)
31 Let him not deceive(BG) himself by trusting what is worthless,(BH)
for he will get nothing in return.(BI)
32 Before his time(BJ) he will wither,(BK)
and his branches will not flourish.(BL)
33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,(BM)
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.(BN)
34 For the company of the godless(BO) will be barren,
and fire will consume(BP) the tents of those who love bribes.(BQ)
35 They conceive trouble(BR) and give birth to evil;(BS)
their womb fashions deceit.”
Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
International Children’s Bible (ICB)
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.