1فَأَجَابَ أَلِيفَازُ التَّيْمَانِيُّ،2إِنِ امْتَحَنَ أَحَدٌ كَلِمَةً مَعَكَ فَهَلْ تَسْتَاءُ. وَلَكِنْ مَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ الاِمْتِنَاعَ عَنِ الْكَلاَمِ.3هَا أَنْتَ قَدْ أَرْشَدْتَ كَثِيرِينَ وَشَدَّدْتَ أَيَادِيَ مُرْتَخِيَةً.4قَدْ أَقَامَ كَلاَمُكَ الْعَاثِرَ وَثَبَّتَّ الرُّكَبَ الْمُرْتَعِشَةَ.5وَالآنَ إِذْ جَاءَ عَلَيْكَ ضَجِرْتَ. إِذْ مَسَّكَ ارْتَعْتَ.6أَلَيْسَتْ تَقْوَاكَ هِيَ مُعْتَمَدَكَ وَرَجَاؤُكَ كَمَالَ طُرُقِكَ.7اُذْكُرْ مَنْ هَلَكَ وَهُوَ بَرِيءٌ، وَأَيْنَ أُبِيدَ الْمُسْتَقِيمُونَ.8كَمَا قَدْ رَأَيْتَ أَنَّ الْحَارِثِينَ إِثْماً وَالزَّارِعِينَ شَقَاوَةً يَحْصُدُونَهُمَا.9بِنَسَمَةِ اللَّهِ يَبِيدُونَ وَبِرِيحِ أَنْفِهِ يَفْنَوْنَ.10زَمْجَرَةُ الأَسَدِ وَصَوْتُ الزَّئِيرِ وَأَنْيَابُ الأَشْبَالِ تَكَسَّرَتْ.11اَللَّيْثُ هَالِكٌ لِعَدَمِ الْفَرِيسَةِ وَأَشْبَالُ اللَّبْوَةِ تَبَدَّدَتْ.12ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ تَسَلَّلَتْ كَلِمَةٌ فَقَبِلَتْ أُذُنِي مِنْهَا هَمْساً.13فِي الْهَوَاجِسِ مِنْ رُؤَى اللَّيْلِ عِنْدَ وُقُوعِ سُبَاتٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ14أَصَابَنِي رُعْبٌ وَرَعْدَةٌ، فَرَجَفَتْ كُلُّ عِظَامِي.15فَمَرَّتْ رُوحٌ عَلَى وَجْهِي. اقْشَعَرَّ شَعْرُ جَسَدِي.16وَقَفَتْ وَلَكِنِّي لَمْ أَعْرِفْ مَنْظَرَهَا. شِبْهٌ قُدَّامَ عَيْنَيَّ. سَمِعْتُ صَوْتاً مُنْخَفِضاً،17أَالإِنْسَانُ أَبَرُّ مِنَ اللَّهِ، أَمِ الرَّجُلُ أَطْهَرُ مِنْ خَالِقِهِ.18هُوَذَا عَبِيدُهُ لاَ يَأْتَمِنُهُمْ وَإِلَى مَلاَئِكَتِهِ يَنْسِبُ حَمَاقَةً.19فَكَمْ بِالْحَرِيِّ سُكَّانُ بُيُوتٍ مِنْ طِينٍ الَّذِينَ أَسَاسُهُمْ فِي التُّرَابِ وَيُسْحَقُونَ مِثْلَ الْعُثِّ.20بَيْنَ الصَّبَاحِ وَالْمَسَاءِ يُحَطَّمُونَ. بِدُونِ مُنْتَبِهٍ إِلَيْهِمْ إِلَى الأَبَدِ يَبِيدُونَ.21أَمَا انْتُزِعَتْ حِبَالُ خِيَامِهِمْ. يَمُوتُونَ بِلاَ حِكْمَةٍ.
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,2If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?3Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.4Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.5But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.6Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.12Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.13In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,14Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.15Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:16It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying ,17Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?18Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:19How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?20They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it .21Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.