Job 4

1 Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ἐλιφὰς ὁ Θαιμανίτης, λέγει,

2 Μὴ πολλάκις σοι λελάληται ἐν κόπῳ; ἰσχὺν δὲ ῥημάτων σου τίς ὑποίσει;

3 Εἰ γὰρ σὺ ἐνουθέτησας πολλοὺς, καὶ χεῖρας ἀσθενοῦς παρεκάλεσας,

4 ἀσθενοῦντάς τε ἐξανέστησας ῥήμασι, γόνασί τε ἀδυνατοῦσι θάρσος περιέθηκας.

5 Νῦν δὲ ἥκει ἐπὶ σὲ πόνος καὶ ἥψατό σου, σὺ ἐσπούδασας.

6 Πότερον οὐχ ὁ φόβος σου ἐστὶν ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ, καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς σου καὶ ἡ κακία τῆς ὁδοῦ σου;

7 Μνήσθητι οὖν, τίς καθαρὸς ὢν ἀπώλετο, ἢ πότε ἀληθινοὶ ὁλόῤῥιζοι ἀπώλοντο;

8 Καθʼ ὃν τρόπον εἶδον τοὺς ἀροτριῶντας τὰ ἄτοπα, οἱ δὲ σπείροντες αὐτὰ ὀδύνας θεριοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς.

9 Ἀπὸ προστάγματος Κυρίου ἀπολοῦνται, ἀπὸ δὲ πνεύματος ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ ἀφανισθήσονται.

10 Σθένος λέοντος, φωνὴ δὲ λεαίνης, γαυρίαμα δὲ δρακόντων ἐσβέσθη.

11 Μυρμηκολέων ὤλετο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βορὰν, σκύμνοι δὲ λεόντων ἔλιπον ἀλλήλους.

12 Εἰ δέ τι ῥῆμα ἀληθινὸν ἐγεγόνει ἐν λόγοις σου, οὐθὲν ἄν σοι τούτων κακὸν ἀπήντησε· πότερον οὐ δέξεταί μου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια παρʼ αὐτοῦ;

13 Φόβῳ δὲ καὶ ἤχῳ νυκτερινῇ ἐπιπίπτων φόβος ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπους,

14 φρίκη μοι συνήντησεν καὶ τρόμος, καὶ μεγάλως μου τὰ ὀστᾶ διέσεισε,

15 καὶ πνεῦμα ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπῆλθεν, ἔφριξαν δέ μου τρίχες καὶ σάρκες.

16 Ἀνέστην καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνων, εἶδον καὶ οὐκ ἦν μορφὴ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου, ἀλλʼ ἢ αὖραν καὶ φωνὴν ἤκουον.

17 Τί γάρ; μὴ καθαρὸς ἔσται βροτὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ Κυρίου; ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἄμεμπτος ἀνήρ;

18 Εἰ κατὰ παίδων αὐτοῦ οὐ πιστεύει, κατὰ δὲ ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ σκολιόν τι ἐπενόησε.

19 Τοὺς δὲ κατοικοῦντας οἰκίας πηλίνας, ἐξ ὧν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πηλοῦ ἐσμεν, ἔπαισεν αὐτοὺς σητὸς τρόπον,

20 καὶ ἀπὸ πρωΐθεν μέχρι ἑσπέρας οὐκ ἔτι εἰσὶ, παρὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς βοηθῆσαι, ἀπώλοντο.

21 Ἐνεφύσησε γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξηράνθησαν, ἀπώλοντο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς σοφίαν.

1 Then Eliphaz the Thæmanite answered and said,

2 Hast thou been often spoken to in distress? but who shall endure the force of thy words?

3 For whereas thou hast instructed many, and hast strengthened the hands of the weak one,

4 and hast supported the failing with words, and hast imparted courage to feeble knees.

5 Yet now that pain has come upon thee, and touched thee, thou art troubled.

6 Is not thy fear founded in folly, thy hope also, and the mischief of thy way?

7 Remember then who has perished, being pure? or when were the true-hearted utterly destroyed?

8 Accordingly as I have seen men ploughing barren places, and they that sow them will reap sorrows for themselves.

9 They shall perish by the command of the Lord, and shall be utterly consumed by the breath of his wrath.

10 The strength of the lion, and the voice of the lioness, and the exulting cry of serpents are quenched.

11 The old lion has perished for want of food, and the lions' whelps have forsaken one another.

12 But if there had been any truth in thy words, none of these evils would have befallen thee. Shall not mine ear receive excellent revelations from him?

13 But as when terror falls upon men, with dread and a sound in the night,

14 horror and trembling seized me, and caused all my bones greatly to shake.

15 And a spirit came before my face; and my hair and flesh quivered.

16 I arose and perceived it not: I looked, and there was no form before my eyes: but I only heard a breath and a voice, saying ,

17 What, shall a mortal be pure before the Lord? or a man be blameless in regard to his works?

18 Whereas he trusts not in his servants, and perceives perverseness in his angels.

19 But as for them that dwell in houses of clay, of whom we also are formed of the same clay, he smites them like a moth.

20 And from morning to evening they no longer exist: they have perished, because they cannot help themselves.

21 For he blows upon them, and they are withered: they have perished for lack of wisdom.