Job 4
King James Version
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.
Job 4
Amplified Bible
Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2
“If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]?
But who can restrain himself from speaking?
3
“Behold, you have admonished and instructed many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
4
“Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened feeble knees.
5
“But now [a]adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant;
It touches you, and you are horrified.
6
“Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?
7
“Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished?
Or where [and in what circumstances] were those upright and in right standing with God destroyed?
8
“As I have seen, those who plow wickedness
And those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.
9
“By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of His anger they are 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 lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12
“Now a word was secretly brought to me,
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 and trembling came upon me,
Which made all my bones shake.
15
“Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my skin stood on end!
16
“The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:
17
‘Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He?
Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?(A)
18
‘God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants,
And He charges His angels with error.
19
‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.
20
‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces and destroyed;
Unobserved and unnoticed, they perish forever.
21
‘Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]?
Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?’
Footnotes
- Job 4:5 Lit it.
Job 4
Tree of Life Version
Eliphaz: God is Righteous
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded and said:
2 “If one attempts a word with you, will you become impatient?
But who can keep from speaking?
3 Behold, you have instructed many;
you have strengthened weak hands.
4 Your words have supported those who stumbled,
and strengthened buckling knees.
5 Yet now it has come to you,
and you are discouraged;
it strikes you,
and you are dismayed.
6 Is not your piety your confidence,
the integrity of your ways your hope?
7 Reflect now:
Who, being innocent, ever perished?
And where were the upright destroyed?
8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity
and sow harm, reap them.[a]
9 By the breath[b] of God they perish;
by the blast of His anger they vanish.[c]
10 The lion may roar and the cub growl,
but the teeth of young lions are broken.
11 The mighty lion perishes for lack of prey
and the lioness’ cubs are scattered.
Testimony of an Accusing Spirit
12 Now a word was secretly brought to me,
and my ear caught a whisper of it.
13 Amid unsettling visions in the night,
when a deep sleep falls on men,
14 dread and trembling seized me,
and made my bones shake.
15 Then a spirit brushed over my face,
and the hair of my flesh stood on end.
16 It stood still,
but I could not recognize its appearance,
A form was before my eyes
and I heard a murmur, a voice:
17 ‘Can a mortal be righteous before God;
or a man pure before his Creator?
18 If He puts no trust in His servants
and accuses His angels of 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 From morning until evening they are beaten into pieces—
unnoticed, they perish forever.
21 Is not their tent cord pulled out,
so that they die without wisdom.’”
Footnotes
- Job 4:8 cf. Gal. 6:7.
- Job 4:9 Heb. ruach, lit. wind.
- Job 4:9 cf. 2 Thes. 2:8.
Job 4
New Living Translation
Eliphaz’s First Response to Job
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied to Job:
2 “Will you be patient and let me say a word?
For who could keep from speaking out?
3 “In the past you have encouraged many people;
you have strengthened those who were weak.
4 Your words have supported those who were falling;
you encouraged those with shaky knees.
5 But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart.
You are terrified when it touches you.
6 Doesn’t your reverence for God give you confidence?
Doesn’t your life of integrity give you hope?
7 “Stop and think! Do the innocent die?
When have the upright been destroyed?
8 My experience shows that those who plant trouble
and cultivate evil will harvest the same.
9 A breath from God destroys them.
They vanish in a blast of his anger.
10 The lion roars and the wildcat snarls,
but the teeth of strong lions will be broken.
11 The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.
12 “This truth was given to me in secret,
as though whispered in my ear.
13 It came to me in a disturbing vision at night,
when people are in a deep sleep.
14 Fear gripped me,
and my bones trembled.
15 A spirit[a] swept past my face,
and my hair stood on end.[b]
16 The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape.
There was a form before my eyes.
In the silence I heard a voice say,
17 ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God?
Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’
18 “If God does not trust his own angels
and has charged his messengers with foolishness,
19 how much less will he trust people made of clay!
They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.
20 They are alive in the morning but dead by evening,
gone forever without a trace.
21 Their tent-cords are pulled and the tent collapses,
and they die in ignorance.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
