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

And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

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

Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind,

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

Reasoning with unprofitable talk, and with speeches which do no good?

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

Yea, thou makest piety of none effect, and restrainest meditation before God.

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

For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou hast chosen the tongue of the crafty.

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

Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; and thy lips testify against thee.

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

Art thou the first man that was born? and wast thou brought forth before the hills?

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

Hast thou listened in the secret council of +God? And hast thou absorbed wisdom for thyself?

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

What knowest thou that we know not? understandest thou which is not in us?

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

Both the greyheaded and the aged are with us, older than thy father.

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

Are the consolations of God too small for thee? and the word gently spoken to thee?

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

Why doth thy heart carry thee away? and why do thine eyes wink?

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

That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest words go out of thy 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 should be pure? and he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

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

Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight:

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

How much less the abominable and corrupt,—man, that drinketh unrighteousness like water!

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

I will shew thee, listen to me; and what I have seen I will declare;

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

Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hidden;

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

Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

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

All his days the wicked man is tormented, and numbered years are allotted to the violent.

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

The sound of terrors is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer cometh upon him.

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

He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is singled out for 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 wandereth abroad for bread,—where may it be? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

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

Distress and anguish make him afraid; they prevail against him, as a king ready for the battle.

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

For he hath stretched out his hand against God, and strengthened himself against the Almighty:

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

He runneth against him, with neck, with the thick bosses of his bucklers;

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

For he hath covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat upon flanks.

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

And he dwelleth in desolate cities, in houses that no man inhabiteth, which are 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 become rich, neither shall his substance continue, and their possessions shall not extend upon 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; the flame shall dry up his branches; and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.

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

Let him not trust in vanity: he is deceived, for vanity shall be his recompense;

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

It shall be complete before his day, 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 shake off his unripe grapes as a vine, and shall cast his flower as an olive.

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

For the family of the ungodly shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

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

They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, and their belly prepareth deceit.