King James Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

2Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?

2"Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge And fill himself with the east wind?

3Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

3"Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which are not profitable?

4Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.

4"Indeed, you do away with reverence And hinder meditation before God.

5For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

5"For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty.

6Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

6"Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you.

7Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?

7"Were you the first man to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills?

8Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

8"Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?

9What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?

9"What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not?

10With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.

10"Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father.

11Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?

11"Are the consolations of God too small for you, Even the word spoken gently with you?

12Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,

12"Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash,

13That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?

13That you should turn your spirit against God And allow such words to go out of your mouth?

14What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

14"What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

15Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

15"Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight;

16How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?

16How much less one who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water!

17I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;

17"I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare;

18Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:

18What wise men have told, And have not concealed from their fathers,

19Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.

19To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them.

20The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.

20"The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless.

21A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

21"Sounds of terror are in his ears; While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.

22He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.

22"He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword.

23He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

23"He wanders about for food, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.

24Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

24"Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,

25For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.

25Because he has stretched out his hand against God And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty.

26He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:

26"He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield.

27Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.

27"For he has covered his face with his fat And made his thighs heavy with flesh.

28And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.

28"He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins.

29He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.

29"He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his grain will not bend down to the ground.

30He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.

30"He will not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his shoots, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.

31Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

31"Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward.

32It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.

32"It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green.

33He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

33"He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.

34For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

34"For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.

35They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

35"They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, And their mind prepares deception."

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org