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 提幔人以利法回答说：
2 "智慧人怎可用虚空的知识来回答呢？怎可用东风充满自己的肚腹呢？
3 他怎可用无益的话， 或无用的言词辩论呢？
4 你还废弃了敬畏 神的心， 拦阻了在 神面前的默祷。
5 你的罪孽教导你的口， 你采用诡诈人的舌头，
6 是你的口定你的罪， 不是我， 你嘴唇作见证控告你。
7 你是头一个生下来的人吗？你在诸山未有之前诞生的吗？
8 你曾聆听过 神的密旨吗？你可以独占智慧吗？
9 有什么是你知道， 我们不知道的呢？你明白， 我们不明白的呢？
10 我们中间有白头发的， 又有年纪老的， 年岁比你的父亲还大。
11 神的安慰对你是否太少？温柔的言语对你是否不足？
12 你的心为什么迷惑你， 你的眼为什么闪出怒光，
13 以致你的心灵转过来抗拒 神， 从你的口中竟发出这样的话？
14 人是什么， 能算为洁净吗？妇人所生的， 能算为公义吗？
15 神不信任他的众天使， 在他看来， 诸天也不洁净，
16 何况那可憎又腐败， 喝罪孽如同喝水的世人呢？
17 我要告诉你， 你要听我说。我所看见的， 我要述说，
18 就是智慧人所传讲的， 并没有隐瞒从他们列祖所领受的。
19 这地唯独赐给列祖， 并没有外族人从他们中间经过。
20 恶人一生饱受痛苦， 一生的年数都为强暴留存。
21 恐怖之声常在他的耳中， 太平的时候， 强盗就来袭击他。
22 他不信他能从黑暗中转回， 自己留给刀剑杀害。
23 他飘流觅食说： ‘哪里有呢？’他知道黑暗的日子已经临近了。
24 患难与困苦使他惊惶， 又胜过他， 像君王预备上阵攻击一样。
25 因为他向 神挥拳， 向全能者逞强，
26 用盾牌的厚凸面， 硬着颈项向他直闯。
27 因为他以自己的脂肪蒙脸， 腰上积满肥油。
28 他住在被毁的城邑里， 住在没有人居住， 注定快要成为乱堆的房屋里。
29 他不再富足， 他的财富不能持久， 他的产业也不得在地上扩张，
30 他不能离开黑暗， 火焰必烧干他的嫩枝， 他必因 神口中的气而离去。
31 他不信靠虚假， 自己欺骗自己， 因为虚假必成为他的报应。
32 他的日期未到以先， 这事必成全， 他的枝子， 也不青绿。
33 他必像葡萄树未熟的葡萄掉落一样， 又如橄榄树的花朵一开就谢一般。
34 因为不敬虔的人必不能生育， 火必吞灭收受贿赂者的帐幕。
35 他们所怀的是罪恶， 所生的是罪孽， 他们腹中所预备的是诡诈。"