[1] Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, [2] “If one tries a word with you, will you become weary? But who can hold back from speaking? [3] “Behold, you have disciplined many, And you have strengthened limp hands. [4] “Your words have helped the stumbling to stand, And you have encouraged feeble knees. [5] “But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; It touches you, and you are dismayed. [6] “Is not your fear of God your confidence, And the integrity of your ways your hope? [7] “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright wiped out? [8] “According to what I have seen, those who plow wickedness And those who sow trouble harvest it. [9] “By the breath of God they perish, And by the wind of His anger they come to an end. [10] “The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken. [11] “The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered. [12] “Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it. [13] “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, [14] Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made the multitude of my bones shake in dread. [15] “Then a spirit swept by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up. [16] “It stood still, but I could not recognize its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice: [17] ‘Can mankind be right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? [18] ‘He puts no trust even in His slaves; And against His angels He charges error. [19] ‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth! [20] ‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever. [21] ‘Is not their tent-cord pulled up within them? They die, yet without wisdom.’
