15:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded, |
15:2 "Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge And fill himself with the east wind? |
15:3 "Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which are not profitable? |
15:4 "Indeed, you do away with reverence And hinder meditation before God. |
15:5 "For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty. |
15:6 "Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you. |
15:7 "Were you the first man to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills? |
15:8 "Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself? |
15:9 "What do you know that we do not know? {What} do you understand that we do not? |
15:10 "Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father. |
15:11 "Are the consolations of God too small for you, Even the word {spoken} gently with you? |
15:12 "Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash, |
15:13 That you should turn your spirit against God And allow {such} words to go out of your mouth? |
15:14 "What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? |
15:15 "Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight; |
15:16 How much less one who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water! |
15:17 "I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare; |
15:18 What wise men have told, And have not concealed from their fathers, |
15:19 To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them. |
15:20 "The wicked man writhes in pain all {his} days, And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless. |
15:21 "Sounds of terror are in his ears; While at peace the destroyer comes upon him. |
15:22 "He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword. |
15:23 "He wanders about for food, saying, `Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is at hand. |
15:24 "Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack, |
15:25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty. |
15:26 "He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield. |
15:27 "For he has covered his face with his fat And made his thighs heavy with flesh. |
15:28 "He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins. |
15:29 "He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his grain will not bend down to the ground. |
15:30 "He will not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his shoots, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away. |
15:31 "Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward. |
15:32 "It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green. |
15:33 "He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree. |
15:34 "For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt. |
15:35 "They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, And their mind prepares deception." |