Job 15

Eliphaz Accuses: Job Does Not Fear God

1 Then a Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

2 "Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge,
And fill 1 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 2 prayer before God. 5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
And you choose the tongue of the crafty. 6 b Your own mouth condemns you, and not I;
Yes, your own lips testify against you.

7 " Are you the first man who was born?
c Or were you made before the hills? 8 d Have you heard the counsel of God?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself? 9 e What do you know that we do not know?
What do you understand that is not in us? 10 f 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 3 gently with you? 12 Why does your heart carry you away,
And 4 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 g is man, that he could be pure?
And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? 15 h If God puts no trust in His saints,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight, 16 i How much less man, who is abominable and filthy,
j 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 k from their fathers, 19 To whom alone the 5 land was given,
And l no alien passed among them: 20 The wicked man writhes with pain all his days,
m And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor. 21 6 Dreadful sounds are in his ears;
n In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him. 22 He does not believe that he will o return from darkness,
For a sword is waiting for him. 23 He p wanders about for bread, saying, 'Where is it?'
He knows q 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 7 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 r 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 s continue,
Nor will his possessions overspread the earth. 30 He will not depart from darkness;
The flame will dry out his branches,
And t by the breath of His mouth he will go away. 31 Let him not u trust in futile things, deceiving himself,
For futility will be his reward. 32 It will be accomplished v 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 w They conceive trouble and bring forth futility;
Their womb prepares deceit."

  1. Cross References
    Job 4:1
    Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
  2. Cross References
    Job 9:20
    Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse.
    Luke 19:22
    And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.
  3. Cross References
    Job 38:4
    Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
    Job 38:21
    Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great?
    Psalms 90:2
    Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
    Proverbs 8:25
    Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth.
  4. Cross References
    Job 29:4
    Just as I was in the days of my prime, When the friendly counsel of God was over my tent.
    Romans 11:34
    "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?"
    1 Corinthians 2:11
    For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
  5. Cross References
    Job 12:3
    But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these?
    Job 13:2
    What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you.
  6. Cross References
    Job 8:8 - 10
    For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers.
    Job 12:12
    Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.
    Job 32:6
    So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said: "I am young in years, and you are very old; Therefore I was afraid, And dared not declare my opinion to you.
    Job 32:7
    I said, 'Age should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.
  7. Cross References
    Job 14:4
    Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!
    Proverbs 20:9
    Who can say, "I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin"?
    Ecclesiastes 7:20
    For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.
    1 John 1:8
    If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
    1 John 1:10
    If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
  8. Cross References
    Job 4:18
    If He puts no trust in His servants, If He charges His angels with error.
    Job 25:5
    If even the moon does not shine, And the stars are not pure in His sight.
  9. Cross References
    Job 4:19
    How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before a moth?
    Psalms 14:3
    They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.
    Psalms 53:3
    Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.
  10. Cross References
    Job 34:7
    What man is like Job, Who drinks scorn like water.
    Proverbs 19:28
    A disreputable witness scorns justice, And the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
  11. Cross References
    Job 8:8
    For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers.
    Job 20:4
    Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth.
  12. Cross References
    Joel 3:17
    "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again."
  13. Cross References
    Psalms 90:12
    So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
  14. Cross References
    Job 20:21
    Nothing is left for him to eat; Therefore his well-being will not last.
    1 Thessalonians 5:3
    For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
  15. Cross References
    Job 14:10 - 12
    But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last And where is he?
  16. Cross References
    Psalms 59:15
    They wander up and down for food, And howl if they are not satisfied.
    Psalms 109:10
    Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places.
  17. Cross References
    Job 18:12
    His strength is starved, And destruction is ready at his side.
  18. Cross References
    Psalms 17:10
    They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly.
    Psalms 73:7
    Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish.
    Psalms 119:70
    Their heart is as fat as grease, But I delight in Your law.
  19. Cross References
    Job 20:28
    The increase of his house will depart, And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath.
    Job 27:16
    Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay -
    Job 27:17
    He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver.
  20. Cross References
    Job 4:9
    By the blast of God they perish, And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
  21. Cross References
    Job 35:13
    Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it.
    Isaiah 59:4
    No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
  22. Cross References
    Job 22:16
    Who were cut down before their time, Whose foundations were swept away by a flood?
    Psalms 55:23
    But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.
    Ecclesiastes 7:17
    Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?
  23. Cross References
    Psalms 7:14
    Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
    Isaiah 59:4
    No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
    Hosea 10:13
    You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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