1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
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" If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
But who can withhold himself from speaking?
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Surely you have instructed many,
And you a have strengthened weak hands.
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Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
And you b have strengthened the 1 feeble knees;
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But now it comes upon you, and you are weary;
It touches you, and you are troubled.
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Is not c your reverence d your confidence?
And the integrity of your ways your hope?
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"Remember now, e who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright ever cut off?
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Even as I have seen,
f Those who plow iniquity
And sow trouble reap the same.
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By the blast of God they perish,
And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
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The roaring of the lion,
The voice of the fierce lion,
And g the teeth of the young lions are broken.
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h The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
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"Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
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i In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
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Fear came upon me, and j trembling,
Which made all my bones shake.
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Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my body stood up.
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It stood still,
But I could not discern its appearance.
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence;
Then I heard a voice saying:
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'Can a mortal be more righteous than God?
Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
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If He k puts no trust in His servants,
If He charges His angels with error,
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How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before a moth?
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l They are broken in pieces from morning till evening;
They perish forever, with no one regarding.
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Does not their own excellence go away?
They die, even without wisdom.'