Job 15
New American Standard Bible 1995
Eliphaz Says Job Presumes Much
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite [a]responded,
2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge
(A)And fill [b]himself with the east wind?
3 “Should he argue with useless talk,
Or with words which are not profitable?
4 “Indeed, you do away with [c]reverence
And hinder meditation before God.
5 “For (B)your guilt teaches your mouth,
And you choose the language of (C)the crafty.
6 “Your (D)own mouth condemns you, and not I;
And your own lips testify 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 limit wisdom to yourself?
9 “(G)What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that [d]we do not?
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 carry 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 trust in His (N)holy ones,
And the (O)heavens are not pure in His sight;
16 How much less one who is (P)detestable and corrupt,
Man, who (Q)drinks iniquity like water!
What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life
17 “I will tell you, listen to me;
And what I have seen I will also declare;
18 What wise men have told,
And have not concealed from (R)their fathers,
19 To whom alone the land was given,
And no alien passed among them.
20 “The wicked man writhes (S)in pain all his days,
And [e]numbered are the years (T)stored up for the ruthless.
21 “[f]Sounds of (U)terror 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 [g]at 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 conducts himself (Z)arrogantly against [h]the Almighty.
26 “He rushes [i]headlong at Him
With [j]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)lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become [k]ruins.
29 “He (AC)will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure;
And his grain will not bend down to the ground.
30 “He will (AD)not [l]escape from darkness;
The (AE)flame will wither his shoots,
And by (AF)the breath of His mouth he will go away.
31 “Let him not (AG)trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his [m]reward.
32 “It will be accomplished (AH)before his time,
And his palm (AI)branch will not be 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 [n]the corrupt.
35 “They (AM)conceive [o]mischief and bring forth iniquity,
And their [p]mind prepares deception.”
Footnotes
- Job 15:1 Lit answered and said
- Job 15:2 Lit his belly
- Job 15:4 Lit fear
- Job 15:9 Lit is not within us?
- Job 15:20 Lit the number of years are
- Job 15:21 Lit A sound of terrors is
- Job 15:23 Lit ready at his hand
- 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
- Job 15:35 Lit belly
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.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
