Study Desk

Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

"Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, ^(C1)And fill ^(F1)himself with the east wind?

-"Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which do not benefit?

-"Indeed, you do away with ^(F1)reverence, And hinder meditation before God.

-"For ^(C1)your wrongdoing teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of ^(C2)the cunning.

-"Your ^(C1)own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you.

"Were you the first person to be born, Or ^(C1)were you brought forth before the hills?

-"Do you hear the ^(C1)secret discussion of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?

-"^(C1)What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that ^(F1)we do not?

-"Both the ^(C1)gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father.

-"Are ^(C1)the consolations of God too little for you, Or the ^(C2)word spoken gently to you?

-"Why does your ^(C1)heart take you away? And why do your eyes wink,

That you can turn your spirit against God And produce such words from your mouth?

-"What is man, that ^(C1)he would be pure, Or ^(C2)he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous?

-"Behold, He has no trust in His ^(C1)holy ones, And the ^(C2)heavens are not pure in His sight;

How much less one who is ^(C1)detestable and corrupt: A person who ^(C2)drinks ^(F1)malice like water!

"I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare;

What wise people have told, And have not concealed from ^(C1)their fathers,

To whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them.

-"The wicked person writhes ^(C1)in pain all his days, And the ^(F1)years ^(C2)reserved for the ruthless are numbered.

-"^(F1)Sounds of ^(C1)terror are in his ears; ^(C2)While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him.

-"He does not believe that he will ^(C1)return from darkness, And he is destined for ^(C2)the sword.

-"He wanders about for food, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that a day of ^(C1)darkness is ^(F1)at hand.

-"Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,

Because he has reached out with his hand against God, And is ^(C1)arrogant toward ^(F1)the Almighty.

-"He rushes ^(F1)headlong at Him With his ^(F2)massive shield.

-"For he has ^(C1)covered his face with his fat, And ^(F1)put fat on his waist.

-"He has ^(C1)lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ^(F1)ruins.

-"He ^(C1)will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his property will not stretch out on the earth.

-"He will ^(C1)not ^(F1)escape from darkness; The ^(C2)flame will dry up his shoot, And he will go away by ^(C3)the breath of His mouth.

-"Let him not ^(C1)trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For his ^(F1)reward will be emptiness.

-"It will be accomplished ^(C1)before his time, And his palm ^(C2)branch will not be green.

-"He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will ^(C1)cast off his flower like the olive tree.

-"For the company of ^(C1)the godless is barren, And fire consumes ^(C2)the tents of ^(F1)the corrupt.

-"They ^(C1)conceive ^(F1)harm and give birth to wrongdoing, And their ^(F2)mind prepares deception."

Then Job responded,

"I have heard many things like these; ^(F1)(C1)Miserable comforters are you all!

-"Is there no end to ^(C1)windy words? Or what provokes you that you answer?

-"I too could speak like you, If only ^(F1)I were in your place. I could compose words against you And ^(C1)shake my head at you.

-"Or I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the condolence of my lips could lessen your pain.

"If I speak, ^(C1)my pain is not lessened, And if I refrain, what pain leaves me?

-"But now He has ^(C1)exhausted me; You have laid ^(C2)waste all my group of loved ones.

-"And You have shriveled me up, ^(F1)(C1)It has become a witness; And my ^(C2)infirmity rises up against me, It testifies to my face.

-"His anger has ^(C1)torn me and ^(F1)hunted me down, He has ^(C2)gnashed at me with His teeth; My ^(C3)enemy ^(F2)glares at me.

-"They have ^(C1)gaped at me with their mouths, They have ^(F1)(C2)slapped me on the cheek with contempt; They have ^(C3)massed themselves against me.

-"God hands me over to criminals, And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.

-"I was at ease, but ^(C1)He shattered me, And He has grasped me by my neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His ^(C2)target.

-"His ^(C1)arrows surround me. He splits my kidneys open without mercy; He pours out ^(C2)my bile on the ground.

-"He ^(C1)breaks through me with breach after breach; He ^(C2)runs at me like a warrior.

-"I have sewed ^(C1)sackcloth over my skin, And ^(C2)thrust my horn in the dust.

-"My face is flushed from ^(C1)weeping, ^(C2)And deep darkness is on my eyelids,

Although there is no ^(C1)violence in my hands, And ^(C2)my prayer is pure.

"Earth, do not cover my blood, And may there be no resting place for my cry.

-"Even now, behold, ^(C1)my witness is in heaven, And my ^(F1)advocate is ^(C2)on high.

-"My friends are my scoffers; ^(C1)My eye weeps to God,

That one might plead for a man with God As a son of man with his neighbor!

-"For when a few years are past, I shall go the way ^(C1)of no return.