Job 4

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?footnote afootnote b

3Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

4Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

5But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

6Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.footnote c

10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.

12Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.footnote d

13In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,

14Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.footnote efootnote f

15Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:

16It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,footnote g

17Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

18Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:footnote h

19How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

20They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.footnote i

21Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

Eliphaz: The Innocent Prosper

1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:

2“If one ventures a word with you, will you be wearied?Yet who can keep from speaking? 3Surely you have instructed many,and have strengthened their feeble hands. 4Your words have steadied those who stumbled;you have braced the knees that were buckling. 5But now trouble has come upon you, and you are weary.It strikes you, and you are dismayed. 6Is your reverence not your confidence,and the uprightness of your ways your hope?

7Consider now, I plead:Who, being innocent, has ever perished?Or where have the upright been destroyed? 8As I have observed, those who plow iniquityand those who sow trouble reap the same. 9By the breath of God they perish,and by the blast of His anger they are consumed. 10The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may growl,yet the teeth of the young lions are broken. 11The old lion perishes for lack of prey,and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

12Now a word came to me secretly;my ears caught a whisper of it. 13In disquieting visions in the night,when deep sleep falls on men, 14fear and trembling came over meand made all my bones shudder. 15Then a spiritfootnote aglided past my face,and the hair on my body bristled. 16It stood still,but I could not discern its appearance;a form loomed before my eyes,and I heard a whispering voice:

17‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God,or a man more pure than his Maker? 18If God puts no trust in His servants,and He charges His angels with error, 19how much more those who dwell in houses of clay,whose foundations are in the dust,who can be crushed like a moth! 20They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk;unnoticed, they perish forever. 21Are not their tent cords pulled up,so that they die without wisdom?’