1 T hen answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: --

2 S hould a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?

Doth a wise man answer vain knowledge? And fill an east wind his belly?

3 S hould he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

To reason with a word not useful? And speeches -- no profit in them?

4 Y ea, thou doest away with fear, And hinderest devotion before God.

Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.

5 F or thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

For thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity, And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.

6 T hine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.

7 A rt thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?

The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?

8 H ast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?

Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?

9 W hat knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?

What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou -- and it is not with us?

10 W ith us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much elder than thy father.

Both the gray-headed And the very aged among us -- Greater than thy father days.

11 A re the consolations of God too small for thee, Even the word that is gentle toward thee?

Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word with thee,

12 W hy doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,

What -- doth thine heart take thee away? And what -- are thine eyes high?

13 T hat against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth?

For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:

14 W hat is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

What man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

15 B ehold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:

Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.

16 H ow much less one that is abominable and corrupt, A man that drinketh iniquity like water!

Also -- surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.

17 I will show thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare:

I shew thee -- hearken to me -- And this I have seen and declare:

18 ( Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;

Which the wise declare -- And have not hid -- from their fathers.

19 U nto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them):

To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:

20 T he wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.

`All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.

21 A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

A fearful voice in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.

22 H e believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.

He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched he for the sword.

23 H e wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

He is wandering for bread -- `Where it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.

24 D istress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.

25 B ecause he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;

For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.

26 H e runneth upon him with a stiff neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;

He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.

27 B ecause he hath covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins;

For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over confidence.

28 A nd he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps;

And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.

29 H e shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.

He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.

30 H e shall not depart out of darkness; The flame shall dry up his branches, And by the breath of God's mouth shall he go away.

He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth!

31 L et him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.

Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.

32 I t shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green.

Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.

33 H e shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.

He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.

34 F or the company of the godless shall be barren, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

For the company of the profane gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.

35 T hey conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their heart prepareth deceit.

To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.