1 ¶ Then Eliphaz, the Temanite, answered, and said,

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,

2 S hould a wise man utter vain knowledge and fill his belly with the east wind?

Should a wise man utter such windy knowledge and fill himself with the east wind ?

3 S hould he dispute with useless words and with reasons that are not profitable?

Should he reason with unprofitable talk? Or with speeches with which he can do no good?

4 T hou dost also cast off fear and undermine prayer before God.

Indeed, you are doing away with fear, and you are hindering and diminishing meditation and devotion before God.

5 F or thy mouth has declared thine iniquity, and thou hast chosen the tongue of the crafty.

For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.

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

Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; yes, your own lips testify against you.

7 W ast thou born before Adam? Or wast thou formed before the hills?

Are you the first man that was born ? Or were you created before the hills?

8 H ast thou heard the secret of God, that thou dost detain wisdom in thee alone?

Were you present to hear the secret counsel of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself?

9 W hat dost thou know that we do not? What dost thou understand, which is not in us?

What do you know that we know not? What do you understand that is not equally clear to us?

10 A mong us are also gray hairs; there are also aged men, much elder than thy father.

Among us are both the gray-haired and the aged, older than your father by far.

11 A re the consolations of God in such small esteem with thee? Is there by chance any secret thing concerning thee?

Are God’s consolations too trivial for you? Is there any secret thing (any bosom sin) which you have not given up? were we too gentle toward you to be effective?

12 W hy does thine heart carry thee away, and why do thine eyes blink,

Why does your heart carry you away ? And why do your eyes flash,

13 t hat thou dost reply unto God with thy spirit and bring forth such words out of thy mouth?

That you turn your spirit against God and let words go out of your mouth?

14 W hat is man that he should be clean and that he that is born of a woman should be justified?

What is man, that he could be pure and clean? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be right and just?

15 B ehold, he puts no trust in his saints, and not even the heavens are clean in his sight.

Behold, puts no trust in His holy ones; indeed, the heavens are not clean in His sight—

16 H ow much less the man who is abominable and filthy, who drinks iniquity like water?

How much less that which is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water?

17 ¶ Listen to me and I will show thee and declare unto thee that which I have seen,

I will show you, hear me; and that which I have seen I will relate,

18 t hat which the wise men have told us of their fathers and have not hid it,

What wise men have not hid but have freely communicated; it was told to them by their fathers,

19 u nto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

Unto whom alone the land was given, and no stranger intruded or passed among them.

20 T he wicked man travails with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden from the violent.

The wicked man suffers with torment all his days, through all the years that are numbered and laid up for him, the oppressor.

21 F earful sounds are in his ears; in peace the destroyer shall come upon him.

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

22 H e will not believe that he shall return out of darkness, and he is always watching the sword.

He believes that he will not return out of darkness, and he is waited for by the sword.

23 H e wanders abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knows that the day of darkness is prepared for him.

He wanders abroad for food, saying, Where is it? He knows that the day of darkness and destruction is already close upon him.

24 T ribulation and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

Distress and anguish terrify him; they shall prevail against him, like a king ready for battle.

25 B ecause he extended his hand against God and strengthens himself against the Almighty,

Because he has stretched out his hand against God and bids defiance and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,

26 h e shall run him through in the neck, upon the thick shoulder pieces of his shields;

Running stubbornly against Him with a thickly ornamented shield;

27 f or he covered his face with his fatness and made collops of fat on his flanks;

Because he has covered his face with his fat, adding layers of fat on his loins,

28 a nd he dwelt in desolate cities and in houses which no one inhabited, which were in heaps.

And has lived in desolate cities and in houses which no man should inhabit, which were destined to become heaps;

29 H e shall not become rich, nor shall his strength be established, neither shall he extend his beauty upon the earth.

He shall not be rich, neither shall his wealth last, neither shall his produce bend to the earth nor his possessions be extended on the earth.

30 H e shall not escape from the darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth he shall perish.

He shall not depart out of darkness shall consume him as flame consumes a dry tree, and by the blast of His mouth he shall be swept away.

31 H e shall not be established; in vanity he shall err; therefore, he shall be changed into vanity.

Let him not deceive himself and trust in vanity (emptiness, falseness, and futility), for these shall be his recompense.

32 H e shall be cut off before his time, and his branch shall not be green.

It shall be accomplished and paid in full while he still lives, and his branch shall not be green.

33 H e shall shake off his sour grapes as the vine and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

He shall fail to bring his grapes to maturity on the vine and shall cast off blossoms like the olive tree.

34 F or the congregation of the hypocrites shall be made desolate, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery (wrong and injustice).

35 T hey conceive pain and bring forth iniquity, and their belly meditates deceit.

They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, and their inmost soul hatches deceit.