Job 15:2-34
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 15
2'Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind? 3Should he argue with useless talk, Or with words which do not benefit? 4Indeed, you do away with reverence, And hinder meditation before God. 5For your wrongdoing teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the cunning. 6Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; And your own lips testify against you. 7'Were you the first person to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills? 8Do you hear the secret discussion of God, And limit wisdom to yourself? 9What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not? 10Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father. 11Are the consolations of God too little for you, Or the word spoken gently to you? 12Why does your heart take you away? And why do your eyes wink, 13That you can turn your spirit against God And produce such words from your mouth? 14What is man, that he would be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he would be righteous? 15Behold, He has no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight; 16How much less one who is detestable and corrupt: A person who drinks malice like water! 17'I will tell you, listen to me; And what I have seen I will also declare; 18What wise people have told, And have not concealed from their fathers, 19To whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them. 20The wicked person writhes in pain all his days, And the years reserved for the ruthless are numbered. 21 Sounds of terror are in his ears; While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him. 22He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword. 23He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is at hand. 24Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack, 25Because he has reached out with his hand against God, And is arrogant toward the Almighty. 26He rushes headlong at Him With his massive shield. 27For he has covered his face with his fat, And put fat on his waist. 28He has lived in desolate cities, In houses no one would inhabit, Which are destined to become ruins. 29He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his property will not stretch out on the earth. 30He will not escape from darkness; The flame will dry up his shoot, And he will go away by the breath of His mouth. 31Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; For his reward will be emptiness. 32It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green. 33He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree. 34For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.King James Version
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 15
2Does a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill himself with the hot east wind? 3Should he argue with useless talk or with words that serve no good purpose? 4But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before him. 5Your iniquity teaches you what to say, and you choose the language of the crafty.
6Your own mouth condemns you, not I; your own lips testify against you.
7Were you the first human ever born, or were you brought forth before the hills?
8Do you listen in on the council of God, or have a monopoly on wisdom?
9What do you know that we don’t? What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10Both the gray-haired and the elderly are with us— older than your father.
11Are God’s consolations not enough for you, even the words that deal gently with you?
12Why has your heart misled you, and why do your eyes flash
13as you turn your anger against God and allow such words to leave your mouth?
14What is a mere human, that he should be pure, or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15If God puts no trust in his holy ones and the heavens are not pure in his sight,
16how much less one who is revolting and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?
17Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen,
18what the wise have declared and not concealed, that came from their ancestors,
19to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them.
20A wicked person writhes in pain all his days, throughout the number of years reserved for the ruthless.
21Dreadful sounds fill his ears; when he is at peace, a robber attacks him.
22He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness; he is destined for the sword.
23He wanders about for food, asking, "Where is it?" He knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24Trouble and distress terrify him, overwhelming him like a king prepared for battle.
25For he has stretched out his hand against God and has arrogantly opposed the Almighty.
26He rushes headlong at him with his thick, studded shields.
27Though his face is covered with fat and his waistline bulges with it,
28he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble.
29He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not increase in the land.
30He will not escape from the darkness; flames will wither his shoots, and by the breath of God’s mouth, he will depart.
31Let him not put trust in worthless things, being led astray, for what he gets in exchange will prove worthless.
32It will be accomplished before his time, and his branch will not flourish.
33He will be like a vine that drops its unripe grapes and like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
34For the company of the godless will have no children, and fire will consume the tents of those who offer bribes.
New Living Translation
Chapter 15
2'A wise man wouldn’t answer with such empty talk! You are nothing but a windbag. 3The wise don’t engage in empty chatter. What good are such words? 4Have you no fear of God, no reverence for him? 5Your sins are telling your mouth what to say. Your words are based on clever deception. 6Your own mouth condemns you, not I. Your own lips testify against you.
7'Were you the first person ever born? Were you born before the hills were made?
8Were you listening at God’s secret council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9What do you know that we don’t? What do you understand that we do not?
10On our side are aged, gray-haired men much older than your father!
11'Is God’s comfort too little for you? Is his gentle word not enough?
12What has taken away your reason? What has weakened your vision,
13that you turn against God and say all these evil things?
14Can any mortal be pure? Can anyone born of a woman be just?
15Look, God does not even trust the angels. Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight.
16How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person with a thirst for wickedness!
17'If you will listen, I will show you. I will answer you from my own experience.
18And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men who have heard the same thing from their fathers —
19from those to whom the land was given long before any foreigners arrived.
20'The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives. Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.
21The sound of terror rings in their ears, and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.
22They dare not go out into the darkness for fear they will be murdered.
23They wander around, saying, ‘Where can I find bread?’ They know their day of destruction is near.
24That dark day terrifies them. They live in distress and anguish, like a king preparing for battle.
25For they shake their fists at God, defying the Almighty.
26Holding their strong shields, they defiantly charge against him.
27'These wicked people are heavy and prosperous; their waists bulge with fat.
28But their cities will be ruined. They will live in abandoned houses that are ready to tumble down.
29Their riches will not last, and their wealth will not endure. Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.
30'They will not escape the darkness. The burning sun will wither their shoots, and the breath of God will destroy them.
31Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches, for emptiness will be their only reward.
32They will be cut down in the prime of life; their branches will never again be green.
33They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early, like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form.
34For the godless are barren. Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn.
English Standard Version
Chapter 15
2"Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? 3Should he argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which he can do no good? 4But you are doing away with the fear of God and hindering meditation before God. 5For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty. 6Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; your own lips testify against you. 7 "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills? 8Have you listened in the council of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself? 9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us? 10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, older than your father. 11Are the comforts of God too small for you, or the word that deals gently with you? 12Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash, 13that you turn your spirit against God and bring such words out of your mouth? 14 What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? 15Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight; 16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water! 17"I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare 18(what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers, 19to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them). 20The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. 21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him. 22He does not believe that he will return out of darkness, and he is marked for the sword. 23He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand; 24distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him, like a king ready for battle. 25Because he has stretched out his hand against God and defies the Almighty, 26 running stubbornly against him with a thickly bossed shield; 27because he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat upon his waist 28and has lived in desolate cities, in houses that none should inhabit, which were ready to become heaps of ruins; 29he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the earth; 30he will not depart from darkness; the flame will dry up his shoots, and by the breath of his mouth he will depart. 31Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment. 32It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not be green. 33He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine, and cast off his blossom like the olive tree. 34For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of bribery.New International Version
Chapter 15
2"Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind? 3Would they argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value? 4But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God. 5Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
6Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you.
7"Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?
8Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
9What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have?
10The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father.
11Are God’s consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you?
12Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,
13so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth?
14"What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous?
15If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
16how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water!
17"Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen,
18what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors
19(to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them):
20All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him.
21Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him.
22He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness; he is marked for the sword.
23He wanders about for food like a vulture; he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
24Distress and anguish fill him with terror; troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack,
25because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty,
26defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield.
27"Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh,
28he will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to rubble.
29He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land.
30He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.
31Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return.
32Before his time he will wither, and his branches will not flourish.
33He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
34For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.
New King James Version
