Job 4–5

Eliphaz: Job Has Sinned

4Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²“If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?

But who can withhold himself from speaking?

³Surely you have instructed many,

And you ^ahave strengthened weak hands.

⁴Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,

And you ^bhave strengthened the ¹feeble knees;

⁵But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;

It touches you, and you are troubled.

⁶Is not ^cyour reverence ^dyour confidence?

And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷“Remember now, ^ewho ever perished being innocent?

Or where were the upright ever cut off?

⁸Even as I have seen,

^fThose who plow iniquity

And sow trouble reap the same.

⁹By the blast of God they perish,

And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.

¹⁰The roaring of the lion,

The voice of the fierce lion,

And ^gthe teeth of the young lions are broken.

^11hThe old lion perishes for lack of prey,

And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹²“Now a word was secretly brought to me,

And my ear received a whisper of it.

¹³ⁱIn disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,

When deep sleep falls on men,

¹⁴Fear came upon me, and ^jtrembling,

Which made all my bones shake.

¹⁵Then a spirit passed before my face;

The hair on my body stood up.

¹⁶It stood still,

But I could not discern its appearance.

A form was before my eyes;

There was silence;

Then I heard a voice saying:

¹⁷‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God?

Can a man be more pure than his Maker?

¹⁸If He ^kputs no trust in His servants,

If He charges His angels with error,

¹⁹How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,

Whose foundation is in the dust,

Who are crushed before a moth?

^20lThey are broken in pieces from morning till evening;

They perish forever, with no one regarding.

²¹Does not their own excellence go away?

They die, even without wisdom.’

Eliphaz: Job is Chastened by God

5“Call out now; Is there anyone who will answer you?

And to which of the holy ones will you turn?

²For wrath kills a foolish man,

And envy slays a simple one.

^3aI have seen the foolish taking root,

But suddenly I cursed his dwelling place.

⁴His sons are ^bfar from safety,

They are crushed in the gate,

And ^cthere is no deliverer.

⁵Because the hungry eat up his harvest,

¹Taking it even from the thorns,

²And a snare snatches their ³substance.

⁶For affliction does not come from the dust,

Nor does trouble spring from the ground;

⁷Yet man is ^dborn to ⁴trouble,

As the sparks fly upward.

⁸“But as for me, I would seek God,

And to God I would commit my cause—

⁹Who does great things, and unsearchable,

Marvelous things without number.

^10eHe gives rain on the earth,

And sends waters on the fields.

^11fHe sets on high those who are lowly,

And those who mourn are lifted to safety.

^12gHe frustrates the devices of the crafty,

So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.

¹³He catches the ^hwise in their own craftiness,

And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.

¹⁴They meet with darkness in the daytime,

And grope at noontime as in the night.

¹⁵But ⁱHe saves the needy from the sword,

From the mouth of the mighty,

And from their hand.

^16jSo the poor have hope,

And injustice shuts her mouth.

¹⁷“Behold, ^khappy is the man whom God corrects;

Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.

^18lFor He bruises, but He binds up;

He wounds, but His hands make whole.

^19mHe shall deliver you in six troubles,

Yes, in seven ⁿno evil shall touch you.

^20oIn famine He shall redeem you from death,

And in war from the ⁵power of the sword.

^21pYou shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,

And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

²²You shall laugh at destruction and famine,

And ^qyou shall not be afraid of the ^rbeasts of the earth.

^23sFor you shall have a covenant with the stones of the field,

And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.

²⁴You shall know that your tent is in peace;

You shall visit your dwelling and find nothing amiss.

²⁵You shall also know that ^tyour descendants shall be many,

And your offspring ^ulike the grass of the earth.

^26vYou shall come to the grave at a full age,

As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.

²⁷Behold, this we have ^wsearched out;

It is true.

Hear it, and know for yourself.”