Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
ASV
American Standard Version
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
Then answered
Eliphaz the Temanite ,
and
said,
“Does
a wise man answer with empty
counsel
or
fill his
belly
with the hot
east wind?
Should
a wise man make
answer with vain
knowledge,
And
fill himself
with the east wind?
Should he argue
with useless
words
or speeches that
serve
no purpose
?
Should he reason
with unprofitable
talk,
Or with
speeches wherewith
he
can
do
no good
?
But
you
even
undermine
the
fear of
God
and hinder
meditation
before Him
.
Yea,
thou
doest
away
with
fear ,
And hinderest
devotion
before God
.
For your
iniquity instructs
your
mouth, and you
choose
the language
of the crafty.
For thine
iniquity teacheth
thy
mouth, And thou
choosest
the tongue
of the crafty.
Your
own mouth, not mine,
condemns
you
; your
own lips testify against you
.
Thine
own mouth condemneth
thee
, and
not I
; Yea,
thine
own lips testify against thee
.
Were
you
the first man ever
born? Were
you
brought forth before the hills?
Art
thou
the first man that
was
born? Or
wast
thou
brought forth before the hills?
Do
you
listen
in
on
the council
of God or
limit wisdom to yourself
?
Hast
thou
heard
the secret
counsel
of God ?
And
dost
thou
limit wisdom to thyself
?
What do
you
know
that we do
not? What do
you
understand
that
is not clear
to
us?
What knowest
thou,
that we know
not? What understandest
thou,
which
is not in
us?
Both the gray- haired
and the aged are
on
our
side—
men much older
than your
father.
With
us
are
both the gray- headed
and the very
aged men ,
Much elder
than thy
father.
Are the consolations of God not
enough
for you
, even words
spoken
gently
to
you
?
Are the consolations of God too
small
for thee
, Even the
word
that
is
gentle
toward
thee
?
Why has
your
heart carried
you
away ,
and why do your
eyes flash,
Why doth
thy
heart carry
thee
away ?
And why do thine
eyes flash,
as
you
turn
your
spirit
against God and pour
such
words from
your
mouth?
That
against God thou
turnest
thy
spirit,
And lettest
words go
out
of
thy
mouth?
What is man, that he should be pure,
or
one
born of woman, that he should be righteous?
What is man, that he should be clean?
And
he
that
is
born of a
woman, that he should be righteous?
If
God
puts
no trust in His holy ones, if
even
the heavens are not pure
in His eyes,
Behold,
he
putteth
no trust in his holy ones ;
Yea
, the heavens are not clean
in his sight:
how much less man,
who
is vile
and corrupt, who
drinks
injustice
like water ?
How much less one
that
is abominable
and corrupt, A
man
that
drinketh
iniquity
like water !
Listen
to
me
and
I will inform
you.
I
will
describe
what
I have seen ,
I will show
thee,
hear
thou
me;
And
that
which
I have seen I
will
declare:
what
was
declared
by
wise men and
was
not
concealed
from their fathers,
(Which
wise men have
told
From their fathers, and
have
not
hid
it;
to
whom alone the land was given when
no foreigner
passed among them .
Unto
whom alone the land was given ,
And
no stranger
passed among them ):
A
wicked man writhes
in
pain all his days ;
only
a
few
years are reserved
for the ruthless
.
The
wicked man travaileth
with
pain all his days ,
Even
the
number
of
years that
are laid
up
for the oppressor
.
Sounds
of terror
fill
his ears; in his
prosperity the destroyer attacks
him.
A
sound
of terrors
is
in
his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall
come
upon
him.
He despairs
of
his
return from
darkness ;
he is marked
for the sword.
He believeth
not
that
he
shall
return out
of
darkness ,
And
he is waited
for of
the sword.
He wanders
about
as
food
for vultures;
he knows
the day of darkness is at hand.
He wandereth
abroad
for bread,
`saying',
Where
is
it?
He knoweth
that
the day of darkness is ready
at his
hand.
Distress and anguish terrify
him ,
overwhelming
him like
a king poised
to attack
.
Distress and anguish make
him afraid;
They
prevail
against
him ,
as
a king ready
to the
battle
.
For
he has
stretched out his hand against God and has
vaunted
himself against the Almighty ,
Because
he hath
stretched out his hand against God ,
And behaveth
himself proudly
against the Almighty ;
rushing
headlong
at
Him with a thick
, studded
shield.
He
runneth
upon
him with a `stiff'
neck
, With
the
thick
bosses
of
his
bucklers;
Though
his face is
covered
with fat
and
his waistline
bulges
with
flesh
,
Because
he
hath
covered
his face with his fatness
, And
gathered
fat
upon
his
loins;
he will
dwell
in ruined
cities, in abandoned
houses destined
to become rubble.
And
he hath
dwelt
in desolate
cities, In houses which
no
man
inhabited,
Which
were
ready
to become heaps;
He will
no
longer
be rich ;
his
wealth
will
not
endure.
His possessions will
not
overspread
the land
.
He shall
not
be rich ,
neither
shall
his substance
continue,
Neither
shall
their
possessions be
extended
on
the earth
.
He will
not escape
from
the
darkness; the flame will
wither
his shoots
, and the breath of God’s
mouth will
carry
him
away.
He shall
not depart
out
of
darkness; The flame shall
dry
up
his branches
, And by
the breath of `God's'
mouth shall
he
go
away.
Let him not deceive
himself
with
trust in emptiness
, for emptiness
will
be his reward
.
Let him not trust in vanity
, deceiving
himself;
For vanity
shall
be his recompense
.
It will
be paid
in
full
before his time, and his branch will
not flourish
.
It shall
be accomplished
before his time, And his branch shall
not be
green
.
He will
be
like
a
vine
stripped
of
its
unripe grapes
, like
an
olive tree that
sheds
its
blossoms
.
He shall
shake
off
his
unripe grape
as
the
vine
, And
shall
cast
off
his
flower
as
the
olive -
tree.
For the company of the godless will
be barren, and fire will
consume the tents of bribery.
For the company of the godless shall
be barren, And fire shall
consume the tents of bribery.
They conceive trouble
and give
birth
to
evil;
their womb
is
pregnant
with
deceit. ”
They conceive mischief,
and bring
forth
iniquity,
And
their heart
prepareth
deceit.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and American Standard Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..