1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2 "Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge,
and fill himself with the east wind?
3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk,
or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4 Yes, you do away with fear,
and hinder devotion before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
and you choose the language of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I.
Yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 "Are you the first man who was born?
Or were you brought out before the hills?
8 Have you heard the secret counsel of God?
Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we don’t know?
What do you understand which is not in us?
10 With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men,
much older than your father.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you,
even the word that is gentle toward you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away?
Why do your eyes flash,
13 that you turn your spirit against God,
and let such words go out of your mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be clean?
What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones.
Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt,
a man who drinks iniquity like water!
17 "I will show you, listen to me;
that which I have seen I will declare
18 (which wise men have told by their fathers,
and have not hidden it;
19 to whom alone the land was given,
and no stranger passed among them):
20 the wicked man writhes in pain all his days,
even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21 A sound of terrors is in his ears.
In prosperity the destroyer will come on him.
22 He doesn’t believe that he will return out of darkness.
He is waited for by the sword.
23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24 Distress and anguish make him afraid.
They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God,
and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,
26 he runs at him with a stiff neck,
with the thick shields of his bucklers,
27 because he has covered his face with his fatness,
and gathered fat on his thighs.
28 He has lived in desolate cities,
in houses which no one inhabited,
which were ready to become heaps.
29 He will not be rich, neither will his substance continue,
neither will their possessions be extended on the earth.
30 He will not depart out of darkness.
The flame will dry up his branches.
He will go away by the breath of God’s mouth.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself,
for emptiness will be his reward.
32 It will be accomplished before his time.
His branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape as the vine,
and will cast off his flower as the olive tree.
34 For the company of the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief and produce iniquity.
Their heart prepares deceit."
1 Toe het Âlifas, die Temaniet, geantwoord en gesê:
2 Sal 'n wyse man met winderige wetenskap antwoord gee en sy buik vul met oostewind --
3 deur te pleit met woorde wat nie baat en met beweringe waarmee hy niks uitrig nie?
4 Ja, jy breek die Godsvrees af en verstoor die stille oordenking voor die aangesig van God.
5 Want jou ongeregtigheid gee onderrig aan jou mond, en jy kies die taal van die listiges.
6 Jou eie mond veroordeel jou, en nie ek nie; ja, jou eie lippe getuig teen jou.
7 Is jy die eerste as mens gebore en voor die heuwels in die wêreld gebring?
8 Het jy in die raad van God afgeluister en die wysheid na jou toe getrek?
9 Wat weet jy wat ons nie weet nie? Wat verstaan jy wat in ons nie is nie?
10 Ook is daar grys hare, ook bejaardes onder ons, ryker in dae as jou vader.
11 Is die vertroostinge van God vir jou te min, en 'n woord met sagtheid jou toegespreek?
12 Waarom sleep jou hart jou weg? En waarom flikker jou oë so --
13 dat jy jou toorn rig teen God en sulke woorde uit jou mond laat uitgaan?
14 Wat is die mens, dat hy rein sou wees? En hy wat uit 'n vrou gebore is, dat hy regverdig sou wees?
15 Kyk, in sy heiliges stel Hy geen vertroue nie; ja, die hemele is nie rein in sy oë nie;
16 hoeveel minder die afskuwelike en ontaarde, die mens wat onreg drink soos water!
17 Ek wil jou inlig, luister na my; en wat ek gesien het, wil ek vertel;
18 wat die wyse manne verkondig sonder om iets te verberg, van hulle vaders af oorgelewer;
19 aan hulle alleen was die land gegee, en geen vreemdeling het nog onder hulle deurgetrek nie.
20 Al sy dae leef die goddelose in angs, ja, al die jare deur wat vir die tiran bepaal is.
21 Skrikgeluide is in sy ore; in volle vrede oorval die verwoester hom.
22 Hy glo nie dat hy uit die duisternis sal terugkeer nie; en hy is bestemd vir die swaard.
23 Hy dwaal rond en soek brood. Waar is dit? Hy weet dat gereed is, ophande, die dag van duisternis.
24 Benoudheid en angs verskrik hom; dit oorweldig hom soos 'n koning wat gereed staan vir die aanval,
25 omdat hy sy hand uitgesteek het teen God en die Almagtige getrotseer het
27 omdat hy sy gesig met sy vet oordek en 'n vetlaag op sy heupe gevorm het,
28 en verdelgde stede bewoon het, huise wat nie bewoon moes word nie, wat bestem was om puinhope te bly.
29 Hy bly nie ryk en sy vermoë hou nie stand nie, en hulle besitting buig nie soos koringare na die aarde toe nie.
30 Hy ontvlug nie die duisternis nie, die vlam laat sy spruit verdroog, en hy vergaan deur die geblaas van die mond van God.
31 Laat hom nie vertrou op nietigheid nie -- hy kom bedroë uit! -- want nietigheid sal sy vergelding wees.
32 Voor sy tyd word dit vervul, en sy palmtak bly nie meer groen nie.
33 Hy skud sy onryp druiwe af soos 'n wingerdstok en gooi sy bloeisel af soos 'n olyfboom.
34 Want die bende van die goddelose is onvrugbaar, en vuur verteer die tente van omkopery.
35 Hulle is swanger van moeite en baar onheil; en hulle skoot bring bedrog voort.