The First Dialogue

(4.1—14.22)

Eliphaz

1-2Job, will you be annoyed if I speak?

I can't keep quiet any longer.

3You have taught many people

and given strength to feeble hands.

4When someone stumbled, weak and tired,

your words encouraged him to stand.

5Now it's your turn to be in trouble,

and you are too stunned to face it.

6You worshiped God, and your life was blameless;

and so you should have confidence and hope.

7Think back now. Name a single case

where someone righteous met with disaster.

8I have seen people plow fields of evil

and plant wickedness like seed;

now they harvest wickedness and evil.

9Like a storm, God destroys them in his anger.

10The wicked roar and growl like lions,

but God silences them and breaks their teeth.

11Like lions with nothing to kill and eat,

they die, and all their children are scattered.

12Once a message came quietly,

so quietly I could hardly hear it.

13 Like a nightmare it disturbed my sleep.

14I trembled and shuddered;

my whole body shook with fear.

15A light breeze touched my face,

and my skin crawled with fright.

16I could see something standing there;

I stared, but couldn't tell what it was.

Then I heard a voice out of the silence:

17“Can anyone be righteous in the sight of+ God

or be pure before+ his Creator?

18God does not trust his heavenly servants;

he finds fault even with his angels.

19Do you think he will trust a creature of clay,

a thing of dust that can be crushed like a moth?

20We may be alive in the morning,

but die unnoticed before evening comes.

21All that we have is taken away;

we die, still lacking wisdom.”