[1] Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
[2] “Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?
[3] Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
[4] Yes, you cast off fear, And restrain prayer before God.
[5] For your iniquity teaches your mouth, 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? Do you limit 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 the aged are among us, Much older than your father.
[11] Are the consolations of God too small for you, And the word spoken gently with 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 could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
[15] If God puts no trust in His saints, And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
[16] How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water!
[17] “I will tell you, hear me; 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 alien passed among them:
[20] The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor.
[21] Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
[22] He does not believe that he will return from darkness, For a sword is waiting for him.
[23] He wanders about for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
[24] Trouble and anguish make him afraid; They overpower him, like a king ready for battle.
[25] For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty,
[26] Running stubbornly against Him With his strong, embossed shield.
[27] “Though he has covered his face with his fatness, And made his waist heavy with fat,
[28] He dwells in desolate cities, In houses which no one inhabits, Which are destined to become ruins.
[29] He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
[30] He will not depart from darkness; The flame will dry out his branches, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
[31] Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, 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 a vine, And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
[34] For the company of hypocrites will be barren, And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
[35] They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit.”