Job 15
1599 Geneva Bible
15 1 Eliphaz reprehendeth Job, because he ascribeth wisdom and pureness to himself. 16 He describeth the curse that falleth on the wicked, reckoning Job to be one of the number.
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Shall a wise man speak words of the [a]wind? and fill his belly [b]with the East wind?
3 Shall he dispute with words not comely? or with talk that is not profitable?
4 Surely thou hast cast off [c]fear, and restrainest prayer before God:
5 For thy mouth declareth thine iniquity, seeing thou hast chosen the [d]tongue of the crafty.
6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I, and thy lips testify against thee.
7 Art thou the [e]first man that was born? and wast thou made before the hills?
8 Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God, and dost thou restrain wisdom [f]to thee?
9 What knowest thou that we know not? and understandest that is not in us?
10 With us are both ancient and very aged men, far older than thy father.
11 Seem the consolations of God [g]small unto thee? is this thing strange unto thee?
12 Why doth thine heart [h]take thee away, and what do thine eyes mean,
13 That thou answerest to God [i]at thy pleasure, and bringest such words out of thy mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he that is born of woman, that he should [j]be just?
15 Behold, he found no steadfastness in his Saints: yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
16 How much more is man abominable, and filthy, which [k]drinketh iniquity like water?
17 I will tell thee: hear me, and I will declare that which I have seen:
18 Which wise men have told, as they have heard of their fathers, and have not kept it secret:
19 To whom alone the land was [l]given, and no stranger passed through them.
20 The wicked man is continually as one that travaileth of child, and the number [m]of years is hid from the tyrant.
21 A sound of fear is in his ears, and in his prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
22 He believeth not to return out of [n]darkness: for he seeth the sword before him.
23 He wandereth [o]to and fro for bread where he may: he knoweth that the day of darkness is prepared at hand.
24 Affliction and [p]anguish shall make him afraid: they shall prevail against him as a king ready to the battle.
25 For he hath stretched out his hand against God, and made himself strong against the Almighty.
26 Therefore God shall run upon him, even upon his neck, and against the most thick part of his shield.
27 Because he hath covered his face with [q]his fatness, and hath collops in his flank.
28 Though he dwell [r]in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, but are become heaps,
29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the [s]perfection thereof in the earth.
30 He shall never depart out of darkness: the flame shall dry up his branches, and he shall go away with the breath of his mouth.
31 He [t]believeth not that he erreth in vanity: therefore vanity shall be his change.
32 His branch shall not be green, but shall be cut off before his day.
33 God shall destroy him as the vine her sour [u]grape, and shall cast him off, as the olive doth her flower.
34 For the congregation of the hypocrite shall be desolate, and fire shall devour the houses of [v]bribes.
35 For they [w]conceive mischief and bring forth vanity, and their belly hath prepared deceit.
Footnotes
- Job 15:2 That is, vain words, and without consolation?
- Job 15:2 Meaning, with matters that are of none importance, which are forgotten as soon as they are uttered, as the East wind drieth up the moisture as soon as it falleth.
- Job 15:4 He chargeth Job as though his talk caused men to cast off the fear of God, and prayer.
- Job 15:5 Thou speakest as do the mockers and contemners of God.
- Job 15:7 That is, the most ancient, and so by reason the most wise?
- Job 15:8 Art thou only wise?
- Job 15:11 He accuseth Job’s pride and ingratitude, that will not be comforted by God, nor by their counsel.
- Job 15:12 Why dost thou stand in thine own conceit?
- Job 15:13 Hebrew, in thy spirit.
- Job 15:14 His purpose is to prove that Job as an unjust man, and an hypocrite is punished for his sins, like as he did before, Job 4:8.
- Job 15:16 Which hath a desire to sin, as he that is thirsty to drink.
- Job 15:19 Who by their wisdom so governed, that no stranger invaded them, and so the land seemed to be given to them alone.
- Job 15:20 The cruel man is ever in danger of death, and is never quiet in conscience.
- Job 15:22 Out of that misery whereunto he once falleth.
- Job 15:23 God doth not only impoverish the wicked oft times, but even in their prosperity he punisheth them with a greediness evermore to gather: which is as a beggary.
- Job 15:24 He showeth what weapons God useth against the wicked, which lift up themselves against him, to wit, terror of conscience, and outward afflictions.
- Job 15:27 That is, he was so puffed up with great prosperity and abundance of all things, that he forgat God: noting, that Job in his felicity had not the true fear of God.
- Job 15:28 Though he build and repair ruinous places to get him fame, yet God shall bring all to naught, and turn his great prosperity into extreme misery.
- Job 15:29 Meaning, that his sumptuous buildings should never come to perfection.
- Job 15:31 He standeth so in his own conceit, that he will give no place to good counsel, therefore his own pride shall bring him to destruction.
- Job 15:33 As one that gathereth grapes before they be ripe.
- Job 15:34 Which were built or maintained by powling and bribery.
- Job 15:35 And therefore all their vain devises shall turn to their own destruction.
Job 15
Modern English Version
Eliphaz Speaks: Job Does Not Fear God
15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Should a wise man reply with empty knowledge
and fill his lungs with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk
or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4 Yes, you cast off reverence
and hinder prayer before God.
5 For your mouth utters your iniquity,
and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 “Are you the first man who was born?
Or were you made before the hills?
8 Have you heard the counsel of God?
And do you restrict wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not in us?
10 Both the gray-haired and very aged are among us—
much older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you?
Or the word spoken gently to you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away?
And what do your eyes wink at,
13 that you turn your spirit against God,
and let such words go out of your mouth?
14 “What is man that he should be pure?
And he who is born of a 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.
16 How much more abhorred and corrupt is man,
who drinks iniquity like water!
17 “I will tell you; hear me,
and what I have seen I will declare,
18 what wise men have told,
not hiding anything received from their fathers,
19 to whom alone the land was given,
and no foreigner passed among them:
20 The wicked man travails with pain all his days,
and numbered are the years stored up for the oppressor.
21 A dreadful sound is in his ears;
in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
and a sword awaits him.
23 He wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Trouble and anguish will make him afraid;
they will prevail against him as a king ready to the battle.
25 For he stretches out his hand against God,
and strengthens himself against the Almighty.
26 He rushes upon Him, even on His neck,
with his thick embossed shield.
27 “He has covered his face with his fatness
and gathered fat upon his waist.
28 He dwells in desolate cities
and in houses which no man inhabits,
which are ready to become heaps.
29 He will not be rich, nor will his wealth continue,
nor will his possessions spread over the earth.
30 He will not depart out of darkness;
the flame will dry out his branches,
and by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
31 Let him who is deceived not trust in futility,
for futility will be his reward.
32 It will be accomplished before his time,
and his branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine,
and will cast off his blossom like the olive.
34 For the company of hypocrites will be desolate,
and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief, and give birth to futility;
their womb prepares deceit.”
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The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.