Job 15:17-35
International Standard Version
Eliphaz Describes the Plight of the Wicked
17 “I’ll tell you what, listen to me!
Let me relate what I’ve seen,
18 which is what wise men have explained,
who didn’t withhold anything from their ancestors.
19 To them alone was the land given,
when no invader[a] passed through their midst.
20 “The wicked person writhes in pain throughout his life,
a number of years has been reserved for the ruthless.
21 Terrifying sounds ring[b] in his ears;
when times are prosperous, the Destroyer will attack[c] him.
22 He does not believe he will escape[d] darkness;
he is destined for the sword.
23 He wanders around for food—where is it?
He knows that a time of darkness is near.[e]
24 Distress and pressure terrify him;
they overwhelm him, like a king poised for attack.
25 “For he has raised his fist against God,
defying the Almighty.
26 He defiantly ran against him
carrying his thick, reinforced shield.
27 Though he covered his face with fat,
and is grossly overweight at the waist,
28 He will live in devastated towns,
in abandoned houses
that are about to become heaps of rubble.
29 “He won’t become rich and his wealth won’t last;
he won’t expand his holdings to cover the land.
30 He won’t escape darkness;
a flame will wither his shoots;
and he’ll depart by the breath of God’s[f] mouth.
31 Let him not trust in a worthless speech.
He leads only himself astray,
for emptiness will be his reward.
32 This will be accomplished before his time;[g]
his branches won’t grow luxuriant.
33 “He is like a vine that drops its unripe grapes;
like an olive tree that loses its blossoms.
34 For the company of the godless is desolation,
and fire consumes the tents of those who[h] bribe.
35 For they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity;
their womb is pregnant[i] with deception.”
Job 15:17-35
Lexham English Bible
17 “I will show you, listen to me;
and what I have seen, I will tell[a]—
18 what wise men have told,
and they have not hidden that which is from their ancestors,
19 to whom alone[b] the land was given,
and no stranger passed through their midst.
20 “All of the wicked one’s days he is writhing,
even[c] through the number of years that are laid up for the tyrant.
21 Sounds of terror are in his ears;
in prosperity the destroyer will come against him.
22 He cannot trust that he will return[d] from darkness,
and he himself[e] is destined for the sword.
23 “He is wandering for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is ready at hand.[f]
24 Anguish and distress terrify him;
they[g] overpower him like a king ready for the battle.
25 Because he stretched out his hand against God,
and he was arrogant to Shaddai;
26 he stubbornly[h] runs against him
with his thick-bossed shield.[i]
27 “Because he has covered his face with his fat
and has gathered fat upon his loins,
28 he will dwell[j] in desolate cities,
in houses that they should not inhabit,
which are destined for rubble.
29 He will not become rich, and his wealth will not endure,
and their possessions will not stretch across the earth.[k]
30 “He will not escape from darkness;
a flame will dry up his new shoot,
and by the wind of his mouth he shall be removed.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness—he will be deceiving himself—
for worthlessness will be his recompense.
32 It will be paid in full before his time,[l]
and his branch will not flourish.
33 “He will shake off his unripe fruit like the vine,
and he will cast off his blossom like the olive tree;
34 for the company of the godless is barren,
and fire consumes the tents of those who accept bribes.
35 They conceive trouble and bring forth mischief,
and their womb prepares deceit.”
Footnotes
- Job 15:17 Literally “and I will tell”
- Job 15:19 Literally “to them to alone them”
- Job 15:20 Hebrew “and”
- Job 15:22 Literally “He cannot trust to return,” or “He is not certain to return,” or “He cannot be sure to return” (compare NJPS)
- Job 15:22 Emphatic personal pronoun
- Job 15:23 Hebrew “at his hand”; the meaning seems to be, “his ruin is certain”
- Job 15:24 Hebrew “it”
- Job 15:26 Literally “with neck”
- Job 15:26 Literally “with the thickness of the boss of his shield”
- Job 15:28 Hebrew “and he will dwell”
- Job 15:29 See HCSB, ESV; or “will not reach to the earth”; perhaps “his possessions will not go to the underworld”
- Job 15:32 Literally “in not his day,” or “without his day”
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