1 T hen Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

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

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

Should a wise man utter vain knowledge and fill his belly with the east wind?

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

Should he dispute with useless words and with reasons that are not profitable?

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

Thou dost also cast off fear and undermine prayer before God.

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

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

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

Thine own mouth shall condemn thee, and not I; thine own lips shall testify against thee.

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

Wast thou born before Adam? Or wast thou formed before the hills?

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

Hast thou heard the secret of God, that thou dost detain wisdom in thee alone?

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

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

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

Among us are also gray hairs; there are also 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 in such small esteem with thee? Is there by chance any secret thing concerning thee?

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

Why does thine heart carry thee away, and why do thine eyes blink,

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

that thou dost reply unto God with thy spirit and bring forth such words 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 that he that is born of a woman should be justified?

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

Behold, he puts no trust in his saints, and not even the heavens are 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 the man who is abominable and filthy, who drinks iniquity like water?

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

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

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

that which the wise men have told us of 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 earth 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 travails with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden from the violent.

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

Fearful sounds are in his ears; in peace 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 will not believe that he shall return out of darkness, and he is always watching the sword.

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

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

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

Tribulation and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall 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 extended his hand against God and strengthens himself against the Almighty,

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

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

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

for he covered his face with his fatness and made collops of fat on his flanks;

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

and he dwelt in desolate cities and in houses which no one inhabited, which were in 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 become rich, nor shall his strength be established, neither shall he extend his beauty upon 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 escape from the darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth he shall perish.

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

He shall not be established; in vanity he shall err; therefore, he shall be changed into vanity.

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

He shall be cut off 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 sour grapes as the vine and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

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

For the congregation of the hypocrites shall be made desolate, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

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

They conceive pain and bring forth iniquity, and their belly meditates deceit.