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
New Catholic Bible
Second Cycle of Speeches[a]
Eliphaz’s Second Speech[b]
Chapter 15
You in Fact Discredit Religion. 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded:
2 “Would a wise man respond with empty arguments
and make himself a windbag?[c]
3 Would he fill his defense with pointless talk
and speeches that serve no purpose?
4 “You in fact discredit religion
and do away with devotion to God,
5 because your iniquity dictates what you say
and you choose to exhibit a deceitful tongue.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I;
your own lips testify against you.
Are You the Firstborn of the Human Race?[d]
7 “Are you the firstborn of the human race?
Did you come into existence before the hills?
8 Are you a member of God’s inner council?
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What insight do you have that we do not share?
10 We ourselves have age and gray hair on our side,
people who far surpass your father in years.
11 “Are the consolations that God offers insufficient for you,
words whispered gently in your ear?
12 Why do you allow your passions to erode your judgment,
and why do your eyes flash with anger
13 so that you vent your rage against God
and permit such words to escape your mouth?
14 “What is man, that he should be without fault,
or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
15 If God places no trust in his holy ones[e]
and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
16 how much less is man, who is vile and corrupt
and drinks up iniquity like water?
Listen to Experience and Tradition[f]
17 “I will tell you; listen to me.
I will recount what I have seen,
18 what has been related by wise men
who have faithfully transmitted the teachings of their ancestors,
19 to whom alone the land was given,
and no foreigner passed among them.
20 “The wicked man suffers torment all his days,
and limited are the years allotted to the tyrant.
21 Terrifying sounds echo in his ears,
and even when times are peaceful, marauders swoop down on him.
22 He despairs of escaping the darkness
and realizes that he is destined for the sword.
23 “In his wandering, he serves as food for vultures
and knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24 Distress and anguish overwhelm him;
they overpower him like a king prepared to attack.
25 “Because he has lifted his hands against God
and acted in brazen defiance of the Almighty,
26 rushing stubbornly against him
with his massive embossed shield,[g]
27 with his jowls heavy and gross
and his waist bulging with fat,
28 he will dwell in cities that lie in ruins,
in houses that have been abandoned
and are crumbling into a heap of rubble.
29 “He will no longer be wealthy and his riches will not endure;
no longer will his power prevail.
30 He will not escape the darkness;
intense heat will shrivel his roots,
and the wind will cause his blossoms to disappear.
31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting in what is worthless,
for he will be left bereft.
32 “His palm trees will wither before their time,
and his branches will never again be green.
33 He will be like a vine that sheds unripe grapes,
like an olive tree casting off its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless will be completely barren,
and fire will consume the tents of those who are venal.
35 They conceive malice and breed evil,
and they give birth to deceit.”
Footnotes
- Job 15:1 In this second part of the debate, the friends of Job add nothing new, but their tone becomes more aggressive.
- Job 15:1 Eliphaz urges Job to reflect once again on the evil passions of human beings and on the fate of the wicked: after fleeting success, a time of remorse comes upon them and, soon after, the ruin of all their fortunes.
- Job 15:2 And make himself a windbag: literally, “and fill himself with a hot east wind,” i.e., the sirocco that comes in from the desert.
- Job 15:7 Eliphaz disparages humans in order to better destroy all of Job’s pretensions to justice.
- Job 15:15 Holy ones: i.e., the angels (see Job 5:1).
- Job 15:17 According to Eliphaz’s experience, the wicked are ceaselessly pursued by anxiety and all kinds of nightmares; they receive their punishment even in this life.
- Job 15:26 This is an image of an Assyrian or Babylonian soldier who takes part in an assault while protected by a massive round shield.
Job 15
La Bible du Semeur
Deuxième discours d’Éliphaz
Les méchants sont punis
15 Eliphaz de Témân prit la parole et dit :
2 Est-il digne d’un sage ╵de répliquer par un savoir ╵qui n’est rien que du vent,
de se remplir le ventre ╵d’un sirocco aride[a] ?
3 Va-t-il argumenter ╵à coups de mots futiles,
avec de longs discours ╵qui ne servent à rien ?
4 Voilà que toi, ╵tu réduis à néant ╵la crainte due à Dieu,
et tu rends inutile ╵toute réflexion devant Dieu.
5 C’est ton iniquité ╵qui inspire ta bouche,
et tu as adopté ╵la langue des rusés.
6 C’est donc ta propre bouche ╵qui te condamnera, ╵ce ne sera pas moi.
Ce sont tes propres lèvres ╵qui déposeront contre toi.
7 Es-tu le premier homme ╵qui soit né ici-bas ?
Aurais-tu vu le jour ╵bien avant les collines ?
8 Aurais-tu entendu ╵ce qui s’est dit ╵dans le conseil de Dieu ?
Aurais-tu confisqué ╵pour toi seul la sagesse ?
9 En fait, que sais-tu donc ╵que nous ne sachions pas ?
Qu’as-tu bien pu comprendre ╵qui nous ait échappé ?
10 Il y a aussi parmi nous ╵des anciens, des vieillards
plus âgés que ton père !
11 Tiens-tu pour peu de chose ╵le réconfort que Dieu t’apporte
et les paroles modérées ╵qui te sont adressées ?
12 Où t’emporte ton cœur ?
A quoi font allusion ╵ces clignements des yeux ?
13 Comment peux-tu oser ╵t’irriter contre Dieu,
et laisser échapper ╵tous ces propos ?
14 Comment un être humain ╵pourrait-il être pur ?
Et comment l’être ╵né d’une femme ╵pourrait-il être juste ?
15 Or, même à ses saints anges[b] ╵Dieu ne fait pas confiance,
le ciel n’est pas pur à ses yeux.
16 Combien moins l’être détestable, ╵cet homme corrompu
qui commet l’injustice ╵comme il boirait de l’eau !
17 Je vais t’instruire : écoute-moi !
Je vais te raconter ╵ce que j’ai découvert,
18 l’enseignement des sages ╵qu’ils tenaient de leurs pères
qu’ils ont transmis sans rien cacher.
19 A eux seuls, le pays ╵avait été donné,
et aucun étranger ╵n’était encore passé parmi eux.
20 Tous les jours de sa vie, ╵le méchant connaît le tourment,
tout au long des années ╵réservées au tyran.
21 Un bruit plein d’épouvante ╵résonne à ses oreilles
et même en temps de paix ╵un destructeur fondra sur lui.
22 Il ne peut espérer ╵revenir des ténèbres,
et le glaive le guette.
23 Il erre çà et là : ╵où donc trouver du pain ?
Il sait que des jours sombres ╵se préparent pour lui.
24 Le tourment et l’angoisse ╵le jetteront dans l’épouvante
et se rueront sur lui ╵comme un roi préparé ╵à marcher au combat,
25 parce que, contre Dieu ╵il a levé le poing,
et qu’il s’est élevé ╵contre le Tout-Puissant.
26 Il a foncé sur lui ╵tête baissée
en s’abritant derrière ╵un épais bouclier.
27 Son visage est bouffi de graisse,
ses flancs lourds d’embonpoint.
28 Mais il aura pour domicile ╵des villes dévastées,
dans des maisons inhabitées,
tombant en ruine.
29 Il ne pourra pas s’enrichir, ╵sa fortune ne tiendra pas,
et sa prospérité ╵ne s’étalera plus sur terre.
30 Il ne pourra ╵échapper aux ténèbres.
La flamme rendra secs ╵tous ses rameaux[c],
et il sera chassé ╵par le souffle de Dieu[d].
31 C’est dans la fausseté ╵qu’il a mis sa confiance.
Mais il se trompe, ╵car il récoltera ╵la fausseté.
32 Avant que son jour vienne ╵cela s’accomplira,
et, jamais, sa ramure ╵ne reverdira plus.
33 Il est comme une vigne ╵qui laisserait tomber ╵ses raisins encore verts,
ou comme un olivier ╵perdant ses fleurs.
34 Car la famille de l’impie ╵demeurera stérile ;
les maisons qui abritent ╵la corruption ╵seront la proie des flammes.
35 Car qui conçoit le mal ╵enfante le malheur
et au fond de son cœur ╵mûrit la tromperie.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
La Bible Du Semeur (The Bible of the Sower) Copyright © 1992, 1999 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.