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Job 15:14–16

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15:14What is man that he should be pure,

or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

15:15If God places no trust in his holy ones,29

if even the heavens30 are not pure in his eyes,

15:16how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt,31

who drinks in evil like water!32

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Footnotes

  1. 29 Eliphaz here reiterates the point made in Job 4:18.
  2. 30 The question here is whether the reference is to material “heavens” (as in Exod 24:10 and Job 25:5), or to heavenly beings. The latter seems preferable in this context.
  3. 31 The two descriptions here used are “abominable,” meaning “disgusting” (a Niphal participle with the value of a Latin participle [see §116.e]), and “corrupt” (a Niphal participle which occurs only in Pss 14:3 and 53:4), always in a moral sense. On the significance of the first description, see P. Humbert, “Le substantif toʾēbā et le verbe tʾb dans l’Ancien Testament,” 72 [1960]: 217ff.). On the second word, G. R. Driver suggests from Arabic, “debauched with luxury, corrupt” (“Some Hebrew Words,” 29 [1927/28]: 390–96).
  4. 32 Man commits evil with the same ease and facility as he drinks in water—freely and in large quantities.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

What is man, that he can be pure?

Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?

Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones,

and the heavens are not pure in his sight;

how much less one who is abominable and corrupt,

a man who drinks injustice like water!

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“What are mortals, that they could be pure,

or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?

If God places no trust in his holy ones,

if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,

how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt,

who drink up evil like water!

CSBChristian Standard Bible

What is a mere human, that he should be pure,

or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

If God puts no trust in his holy ones

and the heavens are not pure in his sight,

how much less one who is revolting and corrupt,

who drinks injustice like water?

NLTNew Living Translation

Can any mortal be pure?

Can anyone born of a woman be just?

Look, God does not even trust the angels.

Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.

How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person

with a thirst for wickedness!

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“What is a human being, that he can be clean,

or that one born of a woman can be righteous?

Look, he does not trust his holy ones,

and the heavens are not clean in his eyes.

How much less he who is abominable and corrupt,

a man drinking wickedness like water.

KJV 1900King James Version

What is man, that he should be clean?

And he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints;

Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

How much more abominable and filthy

Is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?