The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Stones have waters worn away, Their outpourings wash away the dust of earth, And the hope of man Thou hast destroyed.

Thou prevailest [over] him for ever, and he goeth, He is changing his countenance, And Thou sendest him away.

Honoured are his sons, and he knoweth not; And they are little, and he attendeth not to them.

Only — his flesh for him is pained, And his soul for him doth mourn.'

And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: —

Doth a wise man answer [with] vain knowledge? And fill [with] an east wind his belly?

To reason with a word not useful? And speeches — no profit in them?

Yea, thou dost make reverence void, And dost diminish meditation before God.

For thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity, And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.

Thy mouth declareth thee wicked, and not I, And thy lips testify against thee.

The first man art thou born? And before the heights wast thou formed?

Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?

What hast thou known, and we know not? Understandest thou — and it is not with us?

Both the gray-headed And the very aged [are] among us — Greater than thy father [in] days.

Too few for thee are the comforts of God? And a gentle word [is] with thee,

What — doth thine heart take thee away? And what — are thine eyes high?

For thou turnest against God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:

What [is] man that he is pure, And that he is righteous, one born of woman?

Lo, in His holy ones He putteth no credence, And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.

Also — surely abominable and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.

I shew thee — hearken to me — And this I have seen and declare:

Which the wise declare — And have not hid — from their fathers.

To them alone was the land given, And a stranger passed not over into their midst:

'All days of the wicked he is paining himself, And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.

A fearful voice [is] in his ears, In peace doth a destroyer come to him.

He believeth not to return from darkness, And watched [is] he for the sword.

He is wandering for bread — 'Where [is] it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.

Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.

For he stretched out against God his hand, And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.

He runneth unto Him with a neck, With thick bosses of his shields.

For he hath covered his face with his fat, And maketh vigour over [his] confidence.

And he inhabiteth cities cut off, houses not dwelt in, That have been ready to become heaps.

He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.

He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth!

Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.

Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green.

He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom.

For the company of the profane [is] gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.

To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.

And Job answereth and saith: —

I have heard many such things, Miserable comforters [are] ye all.

Is there an end to words of wind? Or what doth embolden thee that thou answerest?

I also, like you, might speak, If your soul were in my soul's stead. I might join against you with words, And nod at you with my head.

I might harden you with my mouth, And the moving of my lips might be sparing.

If I speak, my pain is not restrained, And I cease — what goeth from me?

Only, now, it hath wearied me; Thou hast desolated all my company,

And Thou dost loathe me, For a witness it hath been, And rise up against me doth my failure, In my face it testifieth.

His anger hath torn, and he hateth me, He hath gnashed at me with his teeth, My adversary sharpeneth his eyes for me.

They have gaped on me with their mouth, In reproach they have smitten my cheeks, Together against me they set themselves.

God shutteth me up unto the perverse, And to the hands of the wicked turneth me over.

At ease I have been, and he breaketh me, And he hath laid hold on my neck, And he breaketh me in pieces, And he raiseth me to him for a mark.

Go round against me do his archers. He splitteth my reins, and spareth not, He poureth out to the earth my gall.

He breaketh me — breach upon breach, He runneth upon me as a mighty one.

Sackcloth I have sewed on my skin, And have rolled in the dust my horn.

My face is foul with weeping, And on mine eyelids [is] death-shade.

Not for violence in my hands, And my prayer [is] pure.

O earth, do not thou cover my blood! And let there not be a place for my cry.

Also, now, lo, in the heavens [is] my witness, And my testifier in the high places.

My interpreter [is] my friend, Unto God hath mine eye dropped:

And he reasoneth for a man with God, And a son of man for his friend.

When a few years do come, Then a path I return not do I go.

My spirit hath been destroyed, My days extinguished — graves [are] for me.

If not — mockeries [are] with me. And in their provocations mine eye lodgeth.

Place, I pray Thee, my pledge with Thee; Who is he that striketh hand with me?

For their heart Thou hast hidden From understanding, Therefore Thou dost not exalt them.

For a portion he sheweth friendship, And the eyes of his sons are consumed.

And he set me up for a proverb of the peoples, And a wonder before them I am.

And dim from sorrow is mine eye, And my members as a shadow all of them.

Astonished are the upright at this, And the innocent against the profane Stirreth himself up.

And the righteous layeth hold [on] his way, And the clean of hands addeth strength, And — dumb are they all.

Return, and come in, I pray you, And I find not among you a wise man.

My days have passed by, My devices have been broken off, The possessions of my heart!

Night for day they appoint, Light [is] near because of darkness.

If I wait — Sheol [is] my house, In darkness I have spread out my couch.

To corruption I have called: — 'Thou [art] my father.' 'My mother' and 'my sister' — to the worm.

And where [is] now my hope? Yea, my hope, who doth behold it?

[To] the parts of Sheol ye go down, If together on the dust we may rest.

And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —

When do ye set an end to words? Consider ye, and afterwards do we speak.

Wherefore have we been reckoned as cattle? We have been defiled in your eyes!

(He is tearing himself in his anger.) For thy sake is earth forsaken? And removed is a rock from its place?

Also, the light of the wicked is extinguished. And there doth not shine a spark of his fire.

The light hath been dark in his tent, And his lamp over him is extinguished.

Straitened are the steps of his strength, And cast him down doth his own counsel.

For he is sent into a net by his own feet, And on a snare he doth walk habitually.

Seize on the heel doth a gin, Prevail over him do the designing.

Hidden in the earth is his cord, And his trap on the path.

Round about terrified him have terrors, And they have scattered him — at his feet.

Hungry is his sorrow, And calamity is ready at his side.

It consumeth the parts of his skin, Consume his parts doth death's first-born.

Drawn from his tent is his confidence, And it causeth him to step to the king of terrors.

It dwelleth in his tent — out of his provender, Scattered over his habitation is sulphur.

From beneath his roots are dried up, And from above cut off is his crop.

His memorial hath perished from the land, And he hath no name on the street.

They thrust him from light unto darkness, And from the habitable earth cast him out.

He hath no continuator, Nor successor among his people, And none is remaining in his dwellings.

At this day westerns have been astonished And easterns have taken fright.

Only these [are] tabernacles of the perverse, And this the place God hath not known.

And Job answereth and saith: —

Till when do ye afflict my soul, And bruise me with words?