4:1 Eliphaz from Teman said: |
4:2 Please be patient and listen to what I have to say. |
4:3 Remember how your words |
4:4 have guided and encouraged many in need. |
4:5 But now you feel discouraged when struck by trouble. |
4:6 You respect God and live right, so don't lose hope! |
4:7 No truly innocent person has ever died young. |
4:8 In my experience, only those who plant seeds of evil harvest trouble, |
4:9 and then they are swept away by the angry breath of God. |
4:10 They may roar and growl like powerful lions. But when God breaks their teeth, |
4:11 they starve, and their children are scattered. |
4:12 A secret was told to me in a faint whisper-- |
4:13 I was overcome by sleep, but disturbed by dreams; |
4:14 I trembled with fear, |
4:15 and my hair stood on end, as a wind blew past my face. |
4:16 It stopped and stood still. Then a form appeared-- a shapeless form. And from the silence, I heard a voice say, |
4:17 "No humans are innocent in the eyes of God their Creator. |
4:18 He finds fault with his servants and even with his angels. |
4:19 Humans are formed from clay and are fragile as moths, so what chance do you have? |
4:20 Born after daybreak, you die before nightfall and disappear forever. |
4:21 Your tent pegs are pulled up, and you leave this life, having gained no wisdom." |