| 1 | And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, |
| 2 | If a word were essayed to thee, wouldest thou be grieved? But who can refrain from speaking? |
| 3 | Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands; |
| 4 | Thy words have upholden him that was stumbling, and thou hast braced up the bending knees: |
| 5 | But now it is come upon thee, and thou grievest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. |
| 6 | Hath not thy piety been thy confidence, and the perfection of thy ways thy hope? |
| 7 | Remember, I pray thee, who that was innocent has perished? and where were the upright cut off? |
| 8 | Even as I have seen, they that plough iniquity and sow mischief, reap the same. |
| 9 | By the breath of +God they perish, and by the blast of his nostrils are they consumed. |
| 10 | The roar of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken; |
| 11 | The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered. |
| 12 | Now to me a word was secretly brought, and mine ear received a whisper thereof. |
| 13 | In thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men: -- |
| 14 | Fear came on me, and trembling, and made all my bones to shake; |
| 15 | And a spirit passed before my face—the hair of my flesh stood up -- |
| 16 | It stood still; I could not discern the appearance thereof: a form was before mine eyes; I heard a slight murmur and a voice: |
| 17 | Shall [mortal] man be more just than +God? Shall a man be purer than his Maker? |
| 18 | Lo, he trusteth not his servants, and his angels he chargeth with folly: |
| 19 | How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed as the moth! |
| 20 | From morning to evening are they smitten: without any heeding it, they perish for ever. |
| 21 | Is not their tent-cord torn away in them? they die, and without wisdom. |