1 T hen Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: --

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from 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 man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

15 “ Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure 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 who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water! What Eliphaz Has Seen of Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been 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 is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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