The Second Dialogue
(15.1—21.34)Eliphaz
1-2 Empty words, Job! Empty words!
3 No one who is wise would talk the way you do
or defend himself with such meaningless words.
4 If you had your way, no one would fear God;
no one would pray to him.
5 Your wickedness is evident by what you say;
you are trying to hide behind clever words.
6 There is no need for me to condemn you;
you are condemned by every word you speak.
7 Do you think you were the first person born?
Were you there when God made the mountains?
8 Did you overhear the plans God made?
Does human wisdom belong to you alone?
9 There is nothing you know that we don't know.
10 We learned our wisdom from gray-haired people—
those born before your father.
11 God offers you comfort; why still reject it?
We have spoken for him with calm, even words.
12 But you are excited and glare at us in anger.
13 You are angry with God and denounce him.
14 Can any human being be really pure?
Can anyone be right with God?
15 Why, God does not trust even his angels;
even they are not pure in his sight.
16 And we drink evil as if it were water;
yes, we are corrupt; we are worthless.
17 Now listen, Job, to what I know.
18 Those who are wise have taught me truths
which they learned from their ancestors,
and they kept no secrets hidden.
19 Their land was free from foreigners;
there was no one to lead them away from God.
20 The wicked who oppress others
will be in torment as long as they live.
21 Voices of terror will scream in their ears,
and robbers attack when they think they are safe.
22 They have no hope of escaping from darkness,
for somewhere a sword is waiting to kill them,
23 and vultures are waiting to eat their corpses.
They know their future is dark;
24 disaster, like a powerful king,
is waiting to attack them.
25 That is the fate of those
who shake their fists at God
and defy the Almighty.
26-27 They are proud and rebellious;
they stubbornly hold up their shields
and rush to fight against God.
28 They are the ones who captured cities
and seized houses whose owners had fled,
but war will destroy those cities and houses.
29 They will not remain rich for long;
nothing they own will last.
Even their shadows will vanish,
30 and they will not escape from darkness.
They will be like trees
whose branches are burned by fire,
whose blossoms are blown away by the wind.
31 If they are foolish enough to trust in evil,
then evil will be their reward.
32 Before their time is up they will wither,
wither like a branch and never be green again.
33 They will be like vines that lose their unripe grapes;
like olive trees that drop their blossoms.
34 There will be no descendants for godless people,
and fire will destroy the homes built by bribery.
35 These are the ones who plan trouble and do evil;
their hearts are always full of deceit.
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and saide, 2 Shal a wise man speake words of ye winde, and fill his bellie with the East winde? 3 Shall he dispute with wordes not comely? or with talke that is not profitable? 4 Surely thou hast cast off feare, and restrainest prayer before God. 5 For thy mouth declareth thine iniquitie, seeing thou hast chosen ye tongue of the crafty. 6 Thine owne mouth condemneth thee, and not I, and thy lippes testifie against thee. 7 Art thou the first man, that was borne? and wast thou made before the hils? 8 Hast thou heard the secret counsell of God, and doest thou restraine wisedome to thee? 9 What knowest thou that we knowe not? and vnderstandest that is not in vs? 10 With vs are both auncient and very aged men, farre older then thy father. 11 Seeme the consolations of God small vnto thee? is this thing strange vnto thee? 12 Why doeth thine heart take thee away, and what doe thine eyes meane, 13 That thou answerest to God at thy pleasure, and bringest such wordes out of thy mouth? 14 What is man, that he should be cleane? and he that is borne of woman, that he shoulde be iust? 15 Beholde, he founde no stedfastnesse in his Saintes: yea, the heauens are not cleane in his sight. 16 How much more is man abominable, and filthie, which drinketh iniquitie like water? 17 I will tell thee: heare me, and I will declare that which I haue seene: 18 Which wise men haue tolde, as they haue heard of their fathers, and haue not kept it secret: 19 To whome alone the land was giuen and no stranger passed through them. 20 The wicked man is continually as one that traueileth of childe, and the nomber of yeeres is hid from the tyrant. 21 A sounde of feare is in his eares, and in his prosperitie the destroyer shall come vpon him. 22 He beleeueth not to returne out of darknesse: for he seeth the sworde before him. 23 He wandreth to and from for bread where he may: he knoweth that the day of darkenesse is prepared at hande. 24 Affliction and anguish shall make him afraide: they shall preuaile against him as a King readie to the battell. 25 For he hath stretched out his hand against GOD, and made him selfe strong against the Almightie. 26 Therefore God shall runne vpon him, euen vpon his necke, and against the most thicke part of his shielde. 27 Because he hath couered his face with his fatnesse, and hath colloppes in his flancke. 28 Though he dwell in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, but are become heapes, 29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof in the earth. 30 He shall neuer depart out of darkenesse: the flame shall drie vp his branches, and he shall goe away with the breath of his mouth. 31 He beleeueth not that he erreth in vanitie: therefore vanitie shalbe his change. 32 His branch shall not be greene, but shall be cut off before his day. 33 God shall destroy him as the vine her sower grape, and shall cast him off, as the oliue doeth her flowre. 34 For the congregation of the hypocrite shalbe desolate, and fire shall deuoure the houses of bribes. 35 For they conceiue mischiefe and bring foorth vanitie, and their bellie hath prepared deceite.