Job 4 — Legacy Standard Bible

Eliphaz Says the Innocent Do Not Suffer

4Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

²“If one tries a word with you, will you become weary?But ^awho can hold back ¹from speaking?³“Behold, ^ayou have disciplined many,And you have strengthened limp hands.⁴“Your words have ¹helped the stumbling to stand,And you have encouraged ²feeble knees.⁵“But now it has come to you, and you ^aare impatient;It ^btouches you, and you are dismayed.⁶“Is not your ¹^,^afear of God ^byour confidence,And the integrity of your ways your hope?⁷“Remember now, ^awho ever perished being innocent?Or where were the upright wiped out?⁸“According to what I have seen, ^athose who plow wickednessAnd those who sow trouble harvest it.⁹“By ^athe breath of God they perish,And ^bby the wind of His anger they come to an end.¹⁰“The ^aroaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,And the teeth of the young lions are broken.¹¹“The ^alion perishes for lack of prey,And the ^bwhelps of the lioness are scattered.¹²“Now a word ^awas brought to me stealthily,And my ear received a ^bwhisper of it.¹³“Amid disquieting ^athoughts from the visions of the night,When deep sleep falls on men,¹⁴Dread came upon me, and trembling,And made the multitude of my bones shake in dread.¹⁵“Then a ¹spirit swept by my face;The hair of my flesh bristled up.¹⁶“It stood still, but I could not recognize its appearance;A form was before my eyes;There was silence, then I heard a voice:¹⁷‘Can ^amankind be right ¹before God?Can a man be pure ²before his ^bMaker?¹⁸‘^aHe puts no trust even in His slaves;And against His angels He charges error.¹⁹‘How much more those who dwell in ^ahouses of clay,Whose ^bfoundation is in the dust,Who are crushed before the moth!²⁰‘^aBetween morning and evening they are broken in pieces;¹Unobserved, they ^bperish forever.²¹‘Is not their ^atent-cord pulled up within them?They die, yet ^bwithout wisdom.’