1 A nd Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: --

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 H ath one tried a word with thee? -- Thou art weary! And to keep in words who is able?

If we venture to converse with you, will you be offended? Yet who can restrain himself from speaking?

3 L o, thou hast instructed many, And feeble hands thou makest strong.

Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands.

4 T he stumbling one do thy words raise up, And bowing knees thou dost strengthen.

Your words have held firm him who was falling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees.

5 B ut now, it cometh in unto thee, And thou art weary; It striketh unto thee, and thou art troubled.

But now it is come upon you, and you faint and are grieved; it touches you, and you are troubled and dismayed.

6 I s not thy reverence thy confidence? Thy hope -- the perfection of thy ways?

Is not your fear of God your confidence and the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?

7 R emember, I pray thee, Who, being innocent, hath perished? And where have the upright been cut off?

Think, I beg of you: who, being innocent, ever perished? Or where were those upright and in right standing with God cut off?

8 A s I have seen -- ploughers of iniquity, And sowers of misery, reap it!

As I myself have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble and mischief reap the same.

9 F rom the breath of God they perish, And from the spirit of His anger consumed.

By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed.

10 T he roaring of a lion, And the voice of a fierce lion, And teeth of young lions have been broken.

The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions are broken.

11 A n old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate.

The old and strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

12 A nd unto me a thing is secretly brought, And receive doth mine ear a little of it.

Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it.

13 I n thoughts from visions of the night, In the falling of deep sleep on men,

In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,

14 F ear hath met me, and trembling, And the multitude of my bones caused to fear.

Fear came upon me and trembling, which made all my bones shake.

15 A nd a spirit before my face doth pass, Stand up doth the hair of my flesh;

Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up!

16 I t standeth, and I discern not its aspect, A similitude over-against mine eyes, Silence! and a voice I hear:

stood still, but I could not discern the appearance of it. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying,

17 ` Is mortal man than God more righteous? Than his Maker is a man cleaner?

Can mortal man be just before God, or be more right than He is? Can a man be pure before his Maker, or be more cleansed than He is?

18 L o, in His servants He putteth no credence, Nor in His messengers setteth praise.'

Even in His servants He puts no trust or confidence, and His angels He charges with folly and error—

19 A lso -- the inhabitants of houses of clay, (Whose foundation in the dust, They bruise them before a moth.)

How much more those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed like the moth.

20 F rom morning to evening are beaten down, Without any regarding, for ever they perish.

Between morning and evening they are destroyed; without anyone noticing it they perish forever.

21 H ath not their excellency been removed with them? They die, and not in wisdom!

Is not their tent cord plucked up within them ? Do they not die, and that without wisdom?