1 T hen Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

2 “ Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge And fill himself with the east wind?

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

3 “ Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which are not profitable?

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

4 “ Indeed, you do away with reverence And hinder meditation before God.

Yea, thou doest away with fear, And hinderest devotion before God.

5 “ For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty.

For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

6 “ Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you.

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

7 “ Were you the first man to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills?

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

8 “ Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?

Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?

9 “ What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not?

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

10 “ Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father.

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

11 “ Are the consolations of God too small for you, Even the word spoken gently with you?

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

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

Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,

13 T hat you should turn your spirit against God And allow such words to go out of your mouth?

That against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth?

14 “ What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

15 “ Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight;

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

16 H ow much less one who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water! What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life

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

17 “ I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare;

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

18 W hat wise men have told, And have not concealed from their fathers,

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

19 T o whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them.

Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them):

20 “ The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless.

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

21 “ Sounds of terror are in his ears; While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.

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

22 “ He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword.

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

23 “ He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.

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

24 “ Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,

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

25 B ecause he has stretched out his hand against God And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty.

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

26 “ He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield.

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

27 “ For he has covered his face with his fat And made his thighs heavy with flesh.

Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins;

28 “ He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins.

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

29 “ He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his grain will not bend down to the ground.

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

30 “ He will not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his shoots, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.

He 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.

31 “ Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward.

Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.

32 “ It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green.

It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green.

33 “ He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.

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

34 “ For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.

For the company of the godless shall be barren, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

35 “ They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, And their mind prepares deception.”

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