Job 15
GOD’S WORD Translation
Eliphaz Speaks: You Are Speaking Sinfully, Job
15 Then Eliphaz from Teman replied ⌞to Job⌟,
2 “Should a wise person answer with endless details
and fill his stomach with the east wind?
3 Should he argue with words that don’t help,
with speeches that don’t help ⌞anyone⌟?
4 Yes, you destroy the fear ⌞of God⌟
and diminish devotion to God.
5 Your sin teaches you what to say.
You choose ⌞to talk with⌟ a sly tongue.
6 Your ⌞own⌟ mouth condemns you, not I.
Your lips testify against you.
You Are Not the Only Wise Person, Job
7 “Were you the first human to be born?
Were you delivered before the hills ⌞existed⌟?
8 Did you listen in on God’s council meeting
and receive a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we don’t know?
What do you understand that we don’t?
10 Both the old and the gray-haired are among us.
They are older than your father.
11 Isn’t God’s comfort enough for you,
even when gently spoken to you?
12 Why have your emotions carried you away?
Why do your eyes flash
13 when you turn against God
and spit these words out of your mouth?
14 Why should a mortal be considered faultless
or someone born of a woman be considered righteous?
15 If God doesn’t trust his holy ones,
and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
16 how much less will he trust the one who is disgusting and corrupt,
the one who drinks wickedness like water.
I Want to Tell You What I Know
17 “I’ll tell you; listen to me!
I’ll relate what I have seen.
18 I’ll tell you what wise people have declared
and what was not kept secret from their ancestors.
19 (The land was given to them alone,
and no stranger passed through their land.)
The Tortured Life of the Wicked Person
20 “The wicked person is tortured all his days.
Only a few years are reserved for the ruthless person.
21 Terrifying sounds are in his ears.
While he enjoys peace, the destroyer comes to him.
22 He doesn’t believe he’ll return from the dark.
He is destined ⌞to be killed⌟ with a sword.
23 He wanders around for food and asks, ‘Where is it?’[a]
He knows that his ruin is close at hand.
24 “The day of darkness[b] troubles him.
Distress and anguish terrify him
like a king ready for battle.
25 He stretches out his hand against God
and attacks the Almighty like a warrior.
26 He stubbornly charges at him with a thick shield.
27 “His face is bloated with fat,
and he is fat around the waist.
28 He lives in ruined cities
where no one dwells,
in houses that are doomed to be piles of rubble.
29 He won’t get rich,
and his wealth won’t last.
His possessions won’t spread out over the land.
30 “He won’t escape the darkness.
A flame will shrivel his branches.
He will be blown away by his own breath.
31 He shouldn’t trust in worthless things and deceive himself
because he will get worthless things in return.
32 It will happen before his time has come,
and his branch will not become green.
33 He will drop his unripened grapes like a vine
and throw off his blossoms like an olive tree
34 because a mob of godless people produces nothing,
and fire burns up the tents of those who offer bribes.[c]
35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
Their wombs produce deception.”
Job 15
King James Version
15 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
4 Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
5 For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, 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 made before the hills?
8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain 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 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.
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
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