New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET Bible |
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded, | 1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: |
2"Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge And fill himself with the east wind? | 2"Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, or fill his belly with the east wind? |
3"Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which are not profitable? | 3Does he argue with useless talk, with words that have no value in them? |
4"Indeed, you do away with reverence And hinder meditation before God. | 4But you even break off piety, and hinder meditation before God. |
5"For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty. | 5Your sin inspires your mouth; you choose the language of the crafty. |
6"Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you. | 6Your own mouth condemns you, not I; your own lips testify against you. |
7"Were you the first man to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills? | 7"Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? |
8"Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself? | 8Do you listen in on God's secret council? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? |
9"What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not? | 9What do you know that we don't know? What do you understand that we don't understand? |
10"Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father. | 10The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men far older than your father. |
11"Are the consolations of God too small for you, Even the word spoken gently with you? | 11Are God's consolations too trivial for you; or a word spoken in gentleness to you? |
12"Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash, | 12Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, |
13That you should turn your spirit against God And allow such words to go out of your mouth? | 13when you turn your rage against God and allow such words to escape from your mouth? |
14"What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? | 14What is man that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous? |
15"Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight; | 15If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, |
16How much less one who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water! | 16how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, who drinks in evil like water! |
17"I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare; | 17"I will explain to you; listen to me, and what I have seen, I will declare, |
18What wise men have told, And have not concealed from their fathers, | 18what wise men declare, hiding nothing, from the tradition of their ancestors, |
19To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them. | 19to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them. |
20"The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless. | 20All his days the wicked man suffers torment, throughout the number of the years that are stored up for the tyrant. |
21"Sounds of terror are in his ears; While at peace the destroyer comes upon him. | 21Terrifying sounds fill his ears; in a time of peace marauders attack him. |
22"He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword. | 22He does not expect to escape from darkness; he is marked for the sword; |
23"He wanders about for food, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is at hand. | 23he wanders about--food for vultures; he knows that the day of darkness is at hand. |
24"Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack, | 24Distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him like a king ready to launch an attack, |
25Because he has stretched out his hand against God And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty. | 25for he stretches out his hand against God, and vaunts himself against the Almighty, |
26"He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield. | 26defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield! |
27"For he has covered his face with his fat And made his thighs heavy with flesh. | 27Because he covered his face with fat, and made his hips bulge with fat, |
28"He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins. | 28he lived in ruined towns and in houses where no one lives, where they are ready to crumble into heaps. |
29"He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his grain will not bend down to the ground. | 29He will not grow rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land. |
30"He will not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his shoots, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away. | 30He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots and he will depart by the breath of God's mouth. |
31"Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For emptiness will be his reward. | 31Let him not trust in what is worthless, deceiving himself; for worthlessness will be his reward. |
32"It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green. | 32Before his time he will be paid in full, and his branches will not flourish. |
33"He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree. | 33Like a vine he will let his sour grapes fall, and like an olive tree he will shed his blossoms. |
34"For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt. | 34For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of those who accept bribes. |
35"They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, And their mind prepares deception." | 35They conceive trouble and bring forth evil; their belly prepares deception." |
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 | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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