¹ And Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said,

² If one says a word, will it be a weariness to you? but who is able to keep from saying what is in his mind?

³ Truly, you have been a helper to others, and you have made feeble hands strong;

⁴ He who was near to falling has been lifted up by your words, and you have given strength to bent knees.

⁵ But now it has come on you and it is a weariness to you; you are touched by it and your mind is troubled.

⁶ Is not your fear of God your support, and your upright way of life your hope?

⁷ Have you ever seen destruction come to an upright man? or when were the god-fearing ever cut off?

⁸ What I have seen is that those by whom trouble has been ploughed, and evil planted, get the same for themselves.

⁹ By the breath of God destruction takes them, and by the wind of his wrath they are cut off.

¹⁰ Though the noise of the lion and the sounding of his voice, may be loud, the teeth of the young lions are broken.

¹¹ The old lion comes to his end for need of food, and the young of the she-lion go wandering in all directions.

¹² A word was given to me secretly, and the low sound of it came to my ears.

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

¹⁴ Fear came on me and shaking, and my bones were full of trouble;

¹⁵ And a breath was moving over my face; the hair of my flesh became stiff:

¹⁶ Something was present before me, but I was not able to see it clearly; there was a form before my eyes: a quiet voice came to my ears, saying:

¹⁷ May a man be upright before God? or a man be clean before his Maker?

¹⁸ Truly, he puts no faith in his servants, and he sees error in his angels;

¹⁹ How much more those living in houses of earth, whose bases are in the dust! They are crushed more quickly than an insect;

²⁰ Between morning and evening they are completely broken; they come to an end for ever, and no one takes note.

²¹ If their tent-cord is pulled up, do they not come to an end, and without wisdom?