^{1 Ref} Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

^{2 Ref} Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?

^{3 Ref} Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

^{4 Ref} Yea, thou doest away with fear, And hinderest devotion before God.

^{5 Ref} For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

^{6 Ref} Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

^{7 Ref} Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?

^{8 Ref} Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?

^{9 Ref} What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?

^{10 Ref} With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much elder than thy father.

^{11 Ref} Are the consolations of God too small for thee, Even the word that is gentle toward thee?

^{12 Ref} Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,

^{13 Ref} That against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth?

^{14 Ref} What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

^{15 Ref} Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:

^{16 Ref} How much less one that is abominable and corrupt, A man that drinketh iniquity like water!

^{17 Ref} I will show thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare:

^{18 Ref} (Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;

^{19 Ref} Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them):

^{20 Ref} The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.

^{21 Ref} A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

^{22 Ref} He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.

^{23 Ref} He wandereth abroad for bread, `saying', Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

^{24 Ref} Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

^{25 Ref} Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;

^{26 Ref} He runneth upon him with a `stiff' neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;

^{27 Ref} Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins;

^{28 Ref} And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps;

^{29 Ref} He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.

^{30 Ref} 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 Ref} Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.

^{32 Ref} It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green.

^{33 Ref} He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.

^{34 Ref} For the company of the godless shall be barren, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

^{35 Ref} They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their heart prepareth deceit.

^{1 Ref} And Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said,

^{2 Ref} Will a wise man make answer with knowledge of no value, or will he give birth to the east wind?

^{3 Ref} Will he make arguments with words in which is no profit, and with sayings which have no value?

^{4 Ref} Truly, you make the fear of God without effect, so that the time of quiet worship before God is made less by your outcry.

^{5 Ref} For your mouth is guided by your sin, and you have taken the tongue of the false for yourself.

^{6 Ref} It is by your mouth, even yours, that you are judged to be in the wrong, and not by me; and your lips give witness against you.

^{7 Ref} Were you the first man to come into the world? or did you come into being before the hills?

^{8 Ref} Were you present at the secret meeting of God? and have you taken all wisdom for yourself?

^{9 Ref} What knowledge have you which we have not? is there anything in your mind which is not in ours?

^{10 Ref} With us are men who are grey-haired and full of years, much older than your father.

^{11 Ref} Are the comforts of God not enough for you, and the gentle word which was said to you?

^{12 Ref} Why is your heart uncontrolled, and why are your eyes lifted up;

^{13 Ref} So that you are turning your spirit against God, and letting such words go out of your mouth?

^{14 Ref} What is man, that he may be clean? and how may the son of woman be upright?

^{15 Ref} Truly, he puts no faith in his holy ones, and the heavens are not clean in his eyes;

^{16 Ref} How much less one who is disgusting and unclean, a man who takes in evil like water!

^{17 Ref} Take note and give ear to my words; and I will say what I have seen:

^{18 Ref} (The things which wise men have got from their fathers, and have not kept secret from us;

^{19 Ref} For only to them was the land given, and no strange people were among them:)

^{20 Ref} The evil man is in pain all his days, and the number of the years stored up for the cruel is small.

^{21 Ref} A sound of fear is in his ears; in time of peace destruction will come on him:

^{22 Ref} He has no hope of coming safe out of the dark, and his fate will be the sword;

^{23 Ref} He is wandering about in search of bread, saying, Where is it? and he is certain that the day of trouble is ready for him:

^{24 Ref} He is greatly in fear of the dark day, trouble and pain overcome him:

^{25 Ref} Because his hand is stretched out against God, and his heart is lifted up against the Ruler of all,

^{26 Ref} Running against him like a man of war, covered by his thick breastplate; even like a king ready for the fight,

^{27 Ref} Because his face is covered with fat, and his body has become thick;

^{28 Ref} And he has made his resting-place in the towns which have been pulled down, in houses where no man had a right to be, whose fate was to become masses of broken walls.

^{29 Ref} He does not get wealth for himself, and is unable to keep what he has got; the heads of his grain are not bent down to the earth.

^{30 Ref} He does not come out of the dark; his branches are burned by the flame, and the wind takes away his bud.

^{31 Ref} Let him not put his hope in what is false, falling into error: for he will get deceit as his reward.

^{32 Ref} His branch is cut off before its time, and his leaf is no longer green.

^{33 Ref} He is like a vine whose grapes do not come to full growth, or an olive-tree dropping its flowers.

^{34 Ref} For the band of the evil-doers gives no fruit, and the tents of those who give wrong decisions for reward are burned with fire.

^{35 Ref} Evil has made them with child, and they give birth to trouble; and the fruit of their body is shame for themselves.