^{1 Ref} Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,

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

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

^{4 Ref} Yes, you do away with fear, And hinder devotion before God.

^{5 Ref} For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty.

^{6 Ref} Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you.

^{7 Ref} "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills?

^{8 Ref} Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?

^{9 Ref} What do you know, that we don't know? What do you understand, which is not in us?

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

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

^{12 Ref} Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,

^{13 Ref} That you turn your spirit against God, And let such words go out of your mouth?

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

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

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

^{17 Ref} "I will show you, listen to me; That which I have seen I will declare:

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

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

^{20 Ref} The wicked man travails 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 on him.

^{22 Ref} He doesn't believe that he shall return out of darkness, He is waited for by the sword.

^{23 Ref} He wanders abroad for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows 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 has stretched out his hand against God, And behaves himself proudly against the Almighty;

^{26 Ref} He runs at him with a stiff neck, With the thick shields of his bucklers;

^{27 Ref} Because he has covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat on his loins.

^{28 Ref} He has lived in desolate cities, In houses which no one 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, By the breath of God's mouth shall he go away.

^{31 Ref} Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness shall be his reward.

^{32 Ref} It shall be accomplished before his time. 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. Their heart prepares deceit."

^{1 Ref} And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: --

^{2 Ref} Doth a wise man answer `with' vain knowledge? And fill `with' an east wind his belly?

^{3 Ref} To reason with a word not useful? And speeches -- no profit in them?

^{4 Ref} Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.

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

^{6 Ref} Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.

^{7 Ref} The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?

^{8 Ref} Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?

^{9 Ref} What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou -- and it is not with us?

^{10 Ref} Both the gray-headed And the very aged `are' among us -- Greater than thy father `in' days.

^{11 Ref} Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word `is' with thee,

^{12 Ref} What -- doth thine heart take thee away? And what -- are thine eyes high?

^{13 Ref} For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:

^{14 Ref} What `is' man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

^{15 Ref} Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.

^{16 Ref} Also -- surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.

^{17 Ref} I shew thee -- hearken to me -- And this I have seen and declare:

^{18 Ref} Which the wise declare -- And have not hid -- from their fathers.

^{19 Ref} To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:

^{20 Ref} `All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.

^{21 Ref} A fearful voice `is' in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.

^{22 Ref} He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched `is' he for the sword.

^{23 Ref} He is wandering for bread -- `Where `is' it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.

^{24 Ref} Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.

^{25 Ref} For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.

^{26 Ref} He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.

^{27 Ref} For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over `his' confidence.

^{28 Ref} And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.

^{29 Ref} He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.

^{30 Ref} 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 Ref} Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.

^{32 Ref} Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.

^{33 Ref} He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.

^{34 Ref} For the company of the profane `is' gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.

^{35 Ref} To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare 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.