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."