[1] Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: [2] "If someone tried to speak with you, would you be upset? I cannot keep from speaking. [3] Think about how many people you have taught. Think about how you have made weak hands strong. [4] Your words have comforted those who fell. And you have given strength to those who could not stand. [5] But now trouble comes to you. And you are discouraged. Trouble hits you, and you are terrified. [6] You should trust in your respect for God. You should have hope because you are innocent. [7] "Think about this now: A person who has not done wrong will not die. Honest people were never destroyed. [8] I have noticed that people who plow evil and plant trouble harvest it. [9] God's breath destroys them. A blast of his anger kills them. [10] The lions roar and growl. But the teeth of great lions are broken. [11] The lion dies because he can't find an animal to eat. So the cubs of the female lion are scattered. [12] "A word was brought to me in secret. My ears heard a whisper of it. [13] It was during troublesome dreams in the night when men are in deep sleep. [14] I was shaking with fear. All my bones were shaking. [15] A spirit glided past my face. The hair on my body stood up in fear. [16] The spirit stopped, but I could not see what it was. A shape stood before my eyes. And I heard a quiet voice. [17] It said, 'Can a man be holy in the presence of God? Can a man be pure before the one who made him? [18] God does not trust his servants. He even blames his angels for mistakes. [19] So he puts even more blame on people who live in clay houses. The foundations of these houses are made of dust. They can be crushed more easily than a moth. [20] Between dawn and sunset they are broken to pieces. They are not noticed. They die and are gone forever. [21] The ropes of their tents are pulled up. And they die without wisdom.'
