1 And Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said,
2 Will a wise man make answer with knowledge of no value, or will he give birth to the east wind?
3 Will he make arguments with words in which is no profit, and with sayings which have no value?
4 Truly, you make the fear of God without effect, so that the time of quiet worship before God is made less by your outcry.
5 For your mouth is guided by your sin, and you have taken the tongue of the false for yourself.
6 It is by your mouth, even yours, that you are judged to be in the wrong, and not by me; and your lips give witness against you.
7 Were you the first man to come into the world? or did you come into being before the hills?
8 Were you present at the secret meeting of God? and have you taken all wisdom for yourself?
9 What knowledge have you which we have not? is there anything in your mind which is not in ours?
10 With us are men who are grey-haired and full of years, much older than your father.
11 Are the comforts of God not enough for you, and the gentle word which was said to you?
12 Why is your heart uncontrolled, and why are your eyes lifted up;
13 So that you are turning your spirit against God, and letting such words go out of your mouth?
14 What is man, that he may be clean? and how may the son of woman be upright?
15 Truly, he puts no faith in his holy ones, and the heavens are not clean in his eyes;
16 How much less one who is disgusting and unclean, a man who takes in evil like water!
17 Take note and give ear to my words; and I will say what I have seen:
18 (The things which wise men have got from their fathers, and have not kept secret from us;
19 For only to them was the land given, and no strange people were among them:)
20 The evil man is in pain all his days, and the number of the years stored up for the cruel is small.
21 A sound of fear is in his ears; in time of peace destruction will come on him:
22 He has no hope of coming safe out of the dark, and his fate will be the sword;
23 He is wandering about in search of bread, saying, Where is it? and he is certain that the day of trouble is ready for him:
24 He is greatly in fear of the dark day, trouble and pain overcome him:
25 Because his hand is stretched out against God, and his heart is lifted up against the Ruler of all,
26 Running against him like a man of war, covered by his thick breastplate; even like a king ready for the fight,
27 Because his face is covered with fat, and his body has become thick;
28 And he has made his resting-place in the towns which have been pulled down, in houses where no man had a right to be, whose fate was to become masses of broken walls.
29 He does not get wealth for himself, and is unable to keep what he has got; the heads of his grain are not bent down to the earth.
30 He does not come out of the dark; his branches are burned by the flame, and the wind takes away his bud.
31 Let him not put his hope in what is false, falling into error: for he will get deceit as his reward.
32 His branch is cut off before its time, and his leaf is no longer green.
33 He is like a vine whose grapes do not come to full growth, or an olive-tree dropping its flowers.
34 For the band of the evil-doers gives no fruit, and the tents of those who give wrong decisions for reward are burned with fire.
35 Evil has made them with child, and they give birth to trouble; and the fruit of their body is shame for themselves.
1 Então respondeu Elifaz, o temanita:
2 Porventura responderá o sábio com ciência de vento? E encherá do vento oriental o seu ventre,
3 argüindo com palavras que de nada servem, ou com razões com que ele nada aproveita?
4 Na verdade tu destróis a reverência, e impedes a meditação diante de Deus.
5 Pois a tua iniqüidade ensina a tua boca, e escolhes a língua dos astutos.
6 A tua própria boca te condena, e não eu; e os teus lábios testificam contra ti.
7 És tu o primeiro homem que nasceu? Ou foste dado à luz antes dos outeiros?
8 Ou ouviste o secreto conselho de Deus? E a ti só reservas a sabedoria?
9 Que sabes tu, que nós não saibamos; que entendes, que não haja em nós?
10 Conosco estão os encanecidos e idosos, mais idosos do que teu pai.
11 Porventura fazes pouco caso das consolações de Deus, ou da palavra que te trata benignamente?
12 Por que te arrebata o teu coração, e por que flamejam os teus olhos,
13 de modo que voltas contra Deus o teu espírito, e deixas sair tais palavras da tua boca?
14 Que é o homem, para que seja puro? E o que nasce da mulher, para que fique justo?
15 Eis que Deus não confia nos seus santos, e nem o céu é puro aos seus olhos;
16 quanto menos o homem abominável e corrupto, que bebe a iniqüidade como a água?
17 Escuta-me e to mostrarei; contar-te-ei o que tenho visto
18 {o que os sábios têm anunciado e seus pais não o ocultaram;
19 aos quais somente era dada a terra, não havendo estranho algum passado por entre eles};
20 Todos os dias passa o ímpio em angústia, sim, todos os anos que estão reservados para o opressor.
21 O sonido de terrores está nos seus ouvidos; na prosperidade lhe sobrevém o assolador.
22 Ele não crê que tornará das trevas, mas que o espera a espada.
23 Anda vagueando em busca de pão, dizendo: Onde está? Bem sabe que o dia das trevas lhe está perto, à mão.
24 Amedrontam-no a angústia e a tribulação; prevalecem contra ele, como um rei preparado para a peleja.
25 Porque estendeu a sua mão contra Deus, e contra o Todo-Poderoso se porta com soberba;
26 arremete contra ele com dura cerviz, e com as saliências do seu escudo;
27 porquanto cobriu o seu rosto com a sua gordura, e criou carne gorda nas ilhargas;
28 e habitou em cidades assoladas, em casas em que ninguém deveria morar, que estavam a ponto de tornar-se em montões de ruínas;
29 não se enriquecerá, nem subsistirá a sua fazenda, nem se estenderão pela terra as suas possessões.
30 Não escapará das trevas; a chama do fogo secará os seus ramos, e ao sopro da boca de Deus desaparecerá.
31 Não confie na vaidade, enganando-se a si mesmo; pois a vaidade será a sua recompensa.
32 Antes do seu dia se cumprirá, e o seu ramo não reverdecerá.
33 Sacudirá as suas uvas verdes, como a vide, e deixará cair a sua flor como a oliveira.
34 Pois a assembléia dos ímpios é estéril, e o fogo consumirá as tendas do suborno.
35 Concebem a malícia, e dão à luz a iniqüidade, e o seu coração prepara enganos.