The First Dialogue
(4.1—14.22)Eliphaz
1-2 Job, will you be annoyed if I speak?
I can't keep quiet any longer.
3 You have taught many people
and given strength to feeble hands.
4 When someone stumbled, weak and tired,
your words encouraged him to stand.
5 Now it's your turn to be in trouble,
and you are too stunned to face it.
6 You worshiped God, and your life was blameless;
and so you should have confidence and hope.
7 Think back now. Name a single case
where someone righteous met with disaster.
8 I have seen people plow fields of evil
and plant wickedness like seed;
now they harvest wickedness and evil.
9 Like a storm, God destroys them in his anger.
10 The wicked roar and growl like lions,
but God silences them and breaks their teeth.
11 Like lions with nothing to kill and eat,
they die, and all their children are scattered.
12 Once a message came quietly,
so quietly I could hardly hear it.
13 Like a nightmare it disturbed my sleep.
14 I trembled and shuddered;
my whole body shook with fear.
15 A light breeze touched my face,
and my skin crawled with fright.
16 I could see something standing there;
I stared, but couldn't tell what it was.
Then I heard a voice out of the silence:
17 “Can anyone be righteous in the sight of God
or be pure before his Creator?
18 God does not trust his heavenly servants;
he finds fault even with his angels.
19 Do you think he will trust a creature of clay,
a thing of dust that can be crushed like a moth?
20 We may be alive in the morning,
but die unnoticed before evening comes.
21 All that we have is taken away;
we die, still lacking wisdom.”
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, and sayde, 2 If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieued? but who can withholde himselfe from speaking? 3 Behold, thou hast taught many, and hast strengthened the wearie hands. 4 Thy wordes haue confirmed him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the weake knees. 5 But now it is come vpon thee, and thou art grieued: it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. 6 Is not this thy feare, thy confidence, thy pacience, and the vprightnesse of thy wayes? 7 Remember, I pray thee: who euer perished, being an innocent? or where were the vpright destroyed? 8 As I haue seene, they that plow iniquitie, and sowe wickednesse, reape the same. 9 With the blast of God they perish, and with the breath of his nostrels are they cosumed. 10 The roaring of the Lion, and the voyce of the Lionesse, and the teeth of the Lions whelpes are broken. 11 The Lyon perisheth for lacke of pray, and the Lyons whelpes are scattered abroade. 12 But a thing was brought to me secretly, and mine eare hath receiued a litle thereof. 13 In the thoughtes of ye visions of the night, when sleepe falleth on men, 14 Feare came vpon me, and dread which made all my bones to tremble. 15 And the wind passed before me, and made the heares of my flesh to stande vp. 16 Then stoode one, and I knewe not his face: an image was before mine eyes, and in silence heard I a voyce, saying, 17 Shall man be more iust then God? or shall a man be more pure then his maker? 18 Beholde, he founde no stedfastnesse in his Seruants, and laid follie vpon his Angels. 19 Howe much more in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which shalbe destroyed before the moth? 20 They be destroyed from the morning vnto the euening: they perish for euer, without regarde. 21 Doeth not their dignitie goe away with them? do they not die, and that without wisdom?