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Job's friend Eliphaz speaks to him ^{[ a ]}

4 Eliphaz, who came from Teman, decided to speak. He said this to Job:

² ‘Please be patient and listen to what I say.
Allow me to speak, because I cannot remain quiet.
³ Listen! You have taught many people.
You have helped weak people to be strong.
⁴ With your words, you have saved people from danger.
You have helped people who are in trouble to be brave.
⁵ But now you are the person who has trouble.
You yourself are not patient.
Trouble has come to you and you feel afraid.
⁶ But you respect God's authority,
so you should trust him.
You live in an honest way,
so you should still hope for better things.
⁷ Think about this:
People who are not guilty of sin do not suddenly die.
God does not destroy people who do good things.
⁸ I will tell you what I have seen.
Trouble comes to people who do wicked things.
They receive the punishment that they deserve.
⁹ God destroys them with his breath.
His anger is like a storm that blows them away.
¹⁰ Lions are strong animals that roar loudly.
But if God breaks a lion's teeth, it cannot eat.
¹¹ Even the strongest lion will die if it has nothing to eat.
The young lions will run away from their mother to find food. ^{[ b ]}

¹² One night I heard a quiet voice.
Someone spoke to me and told me a secret.
¹³ I was asleep, but my dreams woke me.
¹⁴ I was very afraid.
Even my bones were shaking.
¹⁵ A wind was blowing over my face.
The hair on my skin stood up.
¹⁶ Something stopped and it stood in front of me.
I could not recognize its shape.
Then I heard a quiet voice say:
¹⁷ “No human is righteous when he stands in front of God.
He cannot be pure in front of his Maker.
¹⁸ God knows that even his angels make mistakes.
They may do foolish things.
¹⁹ God used clay to make bodies for us who are humans.
We came from the dust of the earth.
We are as weak as moths.
²⁰ We are alive in the morning,
and when evening comes we may be dead.
People disappear for ever.
No one even knows about it.
²¹ They no longer have their valuable things.
They suddenly die and they are still not wise.” ’

Footnotes

4:1 Now Job's friend Eliphaz tries to explain to Job why bad things have happened. He says that God is kind to good people and he punishes people who are bad. So if bad things have happened, Job must have done wrong things.
4:11 Eliphaz says that God will destroy wicked people, even if they are very strong.

Eliphaz Speaks

4 Eliphaz from Teman answered:

² “I must say something.
Would it upset you if I speak?
³ Job, you have taught many people.
You encouraged those who were ready to quit.
⁴ Your words helped those who were ready to fall.
You gave strength to those who could not stand by themselves.
⁵ But now trouble comes to you,
and you are discouraged.
Trouble hits you,
and you are upset.
⁶ You worship God.
You trust him.
You are a good man,
so let that be your hope.
⁷ Can you think of any innocent person who was ever destroyed?
Do you know of any place where good people are punished?
⁸ Yes, I have seen people whose lives were cut short,
but they were evil troublemakers.
⁹ They lost the breath God gave them.
They were cut off from his breath of life.
¹⁰ They were like roaring lions,
like growling lions with broken teeth—
¹¹ like a lioness that cannot find prey.
They died, and their cubs starved to death.

¹² “I happened to hear a message.
My ears caught a whisper of it.
¹³ Like a bad dream ^{[ a ]} in the night,
it ruined my sleep.
¹⁴ It frightened me,
and I trembled down to my bones.
¹⁵ A spirit passed by my face.
The hair on my body stood up!
¹⁶ The spirit stood still,
but I could not see what it was.
A shape stood before my eyes,
and there was silence.
Then I heard a quiet voice:
¹⁷ ‘A person cannot be more right than God.
People cannot be more pure than their Maker.
¹⁸ Look, God cannot even trust his heavenly servants.
He sees faults even in his angels.
¹⁹ So surely people are worse!
They live in houses of clay ^{[ b ]} built on dust.
They can be crushed as easily as a moth!
²⁰ From dawn to sunset people are destroyed.
They die—gone forever—and no one even notices.
²¹ The ropes of their tent are pulled up,
and they die before gaining wisdom.’

Footnotes

Job 4:13 bad dream Or “vision of the night.”
Job 4:19 houses of clay This means the human body.

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

² If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?

³ Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

⁴ Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

⁵ But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

⁶ Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

⁷ Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

⁸ Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

⁹ By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

¹⁰ The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

¹¹ The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

¹² Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.

¹³ In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,

¹⁴ Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.

¹⁵ Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:

¹⁶ It 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,

¹⁷ Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

¹⁸ Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:

¹⁹ How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

²⁰ They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

²¹ Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer

4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,

² “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But ^{( A )} who can refrain ^{[ a ]} from speaking?
³ Behold, ^{( B )} you have taught many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
⁴ Your words have helped the stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened ^{[ b ]} feeble knees.
⁵ But now it comes to you, and you ^{( C )} are impatient;
It ^{( D )} touches you, and you are horrified.
⁶ Is your ^{[ c ]} ^{( E )} fear of God not ^{( F )} your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?

⁷ “Remember now, ^{( G )} who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
⁸ According to what I have seen, ^{( H )} those who ^{[ d ]} plow wrongdoing
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
⁹ By ^{( I )} the breath of God they perish,
And ^{( J )} by the ^{[ e ]} blast of His anger they come to an end.
¹⁰ The ^{( K )} roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken out.
¹¹ The ^{( L )} lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the ^{( M )} cubs of the lioness are scattered.

¹² “Now a word ^{( N )} was brought to me secretly,
And my ear received a ^{( O )} whisper of it.
¹³ Amid disquieting ^{( P )} thoughts from visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on people,
¹⁴ Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And made ^{[ f ]} all my bones shake.
¹⁵ Then a ^{[ g ]} spirit passed by my face;
The hair of my flesh stood up.
¹⁶ Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
¹⁷ ‘Can ^{( Q )} mankind be righteous ^{[ h ]} before God?
Can a man be pure ^{[ i ]} before his ^{( R )} Maker?
¹⁸ ^{( S )} He puts no trust even in His servants;
And He accuses His angels of error.
¹⁹ How much more those who live in ^{( T )} houses of clay,
Whose ^{( U )} foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
²⁰ ^{( V )} Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unregarded, they ^{( W )} perish forever.
²¹ Is their ^{( X )} tent-cord not pulled out within them?
They die, yet ^{( Y )} without wisdom.’

Footnotes

Job 4:2 Lit in words
Job 4:4 Lit knees giving way
Job 4:6 Or reverence for
Job 4:8 I.e., devise
Job 4:9 Lit wind
Job 4:14 Lit the multitude of
Job 4:15 Or wind passed over
Job 4:17 Lit from
Job 4:17 Lit from

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Job's friend Eliphaz speaks to him ^{[ a ]}

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Eliphaz Speaks

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Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer

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Eliphaz

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Job's friend Eliphaz speaks to him [ a ]

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Eliphaz Speaks

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Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer

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Eliphaz

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Job's friend Eliphaz speaks to him ^{[ a ]}