Eliphaz Reproves Job and Defends Retribution
Job 15:1-35
Job.15.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליפז: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- התימני: ADJ,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 4:1 (verbal): Same speaker-introduction formula beginning Eliphaz’s first speech — verbal repetition of 'Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said.'
- Job 22:1 (verbal): Later recurrence of the identical formula when Eliphaz speaks again, marking another turn in the friends’ responses.
- Job 8:1 (structural): Parallel introductory formula for Bildad (‘Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said’), showing the cyclical, formulaic pattern of the friends’ speeches.
- Job 11:1 (structural): Parallel introductory formula for Zophar (‘Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said’), another instance of the dialogic speech-introduction pattern in the debate.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
- Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
Job.15.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- החכם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- יענה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- דעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וימלא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- קדים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- בטנו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 15:2 (verbal): Contrasts wise speech with mouths that pour out folly—parallels Job 15:2’s critique of ‘windy’ or empty knowledge and foolish talk.
- Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 (thematic): Warns that foolish talk and many words lead to vanity and sin—resonates with the imagery of knowledge that is empty like wind (fills the belly with the east wind).
- Proverbs 17:28 (thematic): ‘Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise’ highlights the value of restraint over hollow words, echoing the rebuke of windy, empty answers in Job 15:2.
- Ezekiel 13:10-11 (thematic): Condemns prophets who give false/empty visions and speak lies—parallels the condemnation of worthless, wind‑filled speech and supposed ‘wisdom.’
- 1 Corinthians 13:1 (thematic): Paul’s image of eloquent speech without love as a noisy gong/empty noise parallels the idea that speech or 'knowledge' can be empty, windy, and ultimately worthless.
Alternative generated candidates
- Will the wise man answer with a spirit, and fill his belly with the east wind?
- Will the wise man answer with the knowledge of the spirit, and fill his belly with the east wind?
Job.15.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוכח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יסכון: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ומלים: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יועיל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Job 16:2 (thematic): Job's retort that his friends are 'miserable comforters' parallels Eliphaz's claim that their words do not avail — both passages stress the ineffectiveness of human speech as consolation or accusation in the dialogue.
- Ecclesiastes 5:2 (thematic): Warns against rash or vain speech before God and implies the inadequacy of mere words in serious matters, echoing the idea that words alone will not profit or sustain.
- Proverbs 26:4–5 (structural): These proverbs reflect on the limits and potential harm of speech when addressing folly — thematically related to Job 15:3's claim that words are ineffectual and may fail to correct or persuade.
- Jeremiah 6:10 (thematic): God laments that prophetic warning meets deaf ears ('to whom shall I speak...that they hear?'), paralleling the theme that spoken rebuke or instruction can be ineffectual.
Alternative generated candidates
- A rebuke in words will not stand; speech will avail nothing.
- Will reproof in words hold him, and will spoken words avail anything?
Job.15.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אף: ADV
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- תפר: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- יראה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ותגרע: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- שיחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- אל: NEG
Parallels
- Proverbs 28:9 (verbal): Both texts link disobedience/turning away from God’s instruction with the invalidation or abomination of prayer — 'turning away the ear' parallels 'cutting off prayer.'
- Isaiah 1:15 (thematic): Isaiah warns that unrighteous worship and lack of reverence lead God to hide his face and not listen to prayers, echoing Job 15:4’s charge of tearing away fear and cutting off prayer before God.
- Isaiah 59:2 (thematic): This verse states that iniquity separates people from God so that he does not hear them, thematically matching Eliphaz’s accusation that Job’s attitude hinders prayer.
- Psalm 66:18 (thematic): The psalm affirms that cherishing sin in the heart prevents God from hearing — a parallel explanation for why reverence/prayer might be 'cut off' as asserted in Job 15:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- You rend yourself for fear and cut short speech before God.
- You would tear away reverence and curtail speech before God.
Job.15.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- יאלף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עונך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- פיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- ותבחר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לשון: NOUN,f,sg,constr
- ערומים: ADJ,m,pl
Parallels
- Job 9:20 (verbal): Job confesses 'If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me,' echoing the same idea that one's own words/lips serve as a witness against oneself.
- Matthew 12:37 (verbal): Jesus states 'for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned,' a direct teaching that parallels the claim that one's speech brings condemnation.
- Romans 3:19 (thematic): Paul argues that what the law says is meant 'that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God,' relating to the theme of mouths/testimony exposing guilt.
- James 3:6 (thematic): James describes the tongue as a destructive force ('it sets on fire the course of nature'), connecting to the broader theme of speech bringing harm, judgment, or condemnation.
Alternative generated candidates
- For your mouth has taught you your mischief; you choose the tongue of the crafty.
- For your mouth will prove your guilt, for you have chosen the tongue of the crafty.
Job.15.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ירשיעך: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- פיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- ולא: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- ושפתיך: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- יענו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Matthew 12:37 (verbal): Jesus: “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Closely parallels the idea that one’s own speech functions as the basis for condemnation.
- Romans 3:19-20 (thematic): Paul: the law speaks so that “every mouth may be stopped” and the world held accountable. The motif of the mouth/testimony exposing guilt echoes Job’s point that his speech condemns him.
- Luke 6:45 (thematic): “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Connects the idea that a person’s words reveal inner character and thus can testify against him.
- Deuteronomy 19:15 (structural): “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter shall be established.” Provides a legal/testimonial background: speech functions as decisive witness, so a person’s own words can serve as evidence against him.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your own mouth will condemn you, not I; your own lips will testify against you.
- Your own mouth will condemn you, not I; your lips will testify against you.
Job.15.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הראישון: ADJ,m,sg,def
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תולד: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms,sg
- ולפני: CONJ+PREP
- גבעות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- חוללת: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms,sg
Parallels
- Job 38:4-7 (verbal): God's challenge to Job uses the same rhetorical mode—asking where Job was at the founding of the earth and hills—echoing Job 15:7's question about whether the man was born before the hills.
- Proverbs 8:24-26 (verbal): Wisdom speaks of being brought forth before the depths and before the mountains were established, a close verbal and conceptual parallel to the claim of precedence over the hills in Job 15:7.
- Psalm 90:2 (thematic): Affirms God's existence 'before the mountains were born,' thematically paralleling Job 15:7's contrast between human origin and the earlier creation of the hills.
- Genesis 1:26-27 (thematic): The creation account that places humanity's origin after the formation of the earth and its features provides the broader theological backdrop to Job's rhetorical question about being 'first' or born before the hills.
Alternative generated candidates
- Were you the first man to be born? Were you brought forth before the hills?
- Were you the first man born, or brought forth before the hills?
Job.15.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הבסוד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשמע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ותגרע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 29:29 (verbal): Contrasts 'the secret things' that belong to God with what is revealed to humans—echoes the theme of divine secrets/counsel that humans cannot claim exclusively.
- Psalm 25:14 (verbal): Speaks of 'the secret counsel of the LORD' being with those who fear him—uses the same language of divine 'secret' or 'counsel' as in Job 15:8.
- Job 28:12-28 (thematic): Explores the hidden nature of wisdom and where it is found, emphasizing that true wisdom belongs to God—develops the same theme of divine wisdom/secrets.
- Job 11:6 (allusion): Zophar challenges Job about knowing God's counsel and hidden matters—parallels the rhetorical challenge in Eliphaz's question about hearing God’s secret.
- Proverbs 2:6-7 (thematic): Affirms that wisdom and understanding come from the LORD and that he 'stores up' wisdom for the upright—connects to the idea that divine wisdom is not the private possession of a human.
Alternative generated candidates
- Have you heard the secret of God? Do you keep wisdom to yourself?
- Have you heard the secret counsel of God, and reserved wisdom to yourself alone?
Job.15.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- ידעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- נדע: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- תבין: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- עמנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 12:3 (verbal): Job claims he has as much understanding as his friends—directly related to the same debate over who truly knows and can judge (similar contention about personal knowledge).
- Job 38:2 (allusion): God rebukes Job with a rhetorical question about speaking without knowledge (“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”), echoing the challenge to presumed wisdom in Job 15:9.
- Isaiah 5:21 (thematic): Condemns those 'wise in their own eyes'—a thematic parallel criticizing presumptuous or self-assured knowledge like Eliphaz’s taunt.
- 1 Corinthians 8:2 (thematic): Paul warns that presumed knowledge is inadequate ('if anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know'), echoing the New Testament caution against arrogant claims to understanding.
Alternative generated candidates
- What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not with us?
- What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not with us?
Job.15.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גם: ADV
- שב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- גם: ADV
- ישיש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- כביר: NOUN,m,sg,const
- מאביך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Job 20:5-11 (thematic): Bildad/ Zophar/ Zophar? Actually in Job 20 (Zophar) the fate of the wicked is described, including the loss of fruit/descendants and sudden ruin—paralleling the theme of a man whose line and security fail.
- Deuteronomy 28:32 (thematic): As part of the covenant curses, this verse promises that 'your sons and daughters will be given to another people,' echoing the motif of children bereft of security and inheritance found in Job 15:10.
- Isaiah 14:20-21 (thematic): Isaiah depicts the humiliation and end of a proud ruler who will have no enduring name or secure descendants—similar to Job 15’s concern with the failure of a man’s offspring and legacy.
- Psalm 37:25 (thematic): This Psalm presents a counterpoint—righteous folk are not forsaken nor are their children left begging—highlighting the contrast with Job 15:10’s picture of sons lacking security and continued honor.
Alternative generated candidates
- Are not the gray-headed and the elders with us? Are our great men older in days than your father?
- Are you the first of men, or were you born before your fathers?
Job.15.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- המעט: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- תנחמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- ודבר: VERB,qal,fut,3,m,sg
- לאט: ADV
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
Parallels
- Job 16:2 (verbal): Job responds to his friends' words as worthless: 'Miserable comforters are you all'—direct critique of inadequate consolations, echoing the theme that their comforts fail.
- Job 2:11 (structural): The three friends come 'to comfort and to counsel' Job (initial scene of consolation attempts), providing the narrative background for the later remarks about their ineffective comfort.
- Job 19:21 (thematic): Job appeals to his friends for pity—'Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends'—highlighting his expectation of consolation and their failure to provide it.
- Psalm 77:2 (thematic): 'In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out by night... my soul refused to be comforted'—expresses the experience of being without consolation, paralleling the complaint about inadequate consolations.
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (thematic): Paul calls God 'the Father of mercies and God of all comfort' who comforts us so we can comfort others—offers a theological contrast to human consolations that fall short in Job's situation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Will a little of you bring us consolation, or will your mild talk please us?
- Would a little comfort come from you to God? Would gentle words be with you?
Job.15.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- יקחך: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- ירזמון: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
Parallels
- Job 25:4 (verbal): Rhetorical question about human purity and status before God—near‑verbatim phrasing (“how can man be righteous/clean... born of a woman”), directly echoing Joban/Bildadic themes of human littleness.
- Psalm 8:4 (thematic): Both ask rhetorically ‘What is man...?’ to highlight human insignificance and wonder at God’s attention to frail humanity.
- Psalm 144:3 (thematic): Similar rhetorical questioning of human worth before God (‘What is man, that you are mindful of him?’), emphasizing human smallness in relation to the divine.
- Psalm 39:5 (thematic): Reflection on human frailty and transience (‘You have made my days a mere handbreadth’), thematically linked to questions about the place and purity of mortals.
- Isaiah 40:6–7 (thematic): The ‘all flesh is grass’ motif underscores human frailty and transience—a broader theological backdrop to the rhetorical question about human status and righteousness.
Alternative generated candidates
- What moves your heart, and what are the stirrings of your eyes?
- What has seized your heart, and what makes your eyes flash?
Job.15.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- תשיב: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אל: NEG
- רוחך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- והצאת: VERB,hiph,perf,2,ms
- מפיך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- מלין: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Job 32:8 (verbal): Both passages link 'spirit' in a person with speech and understanding — an internal Job-theme about spirit, utterance, and the source of human words.
- Job 33:4 (verbal): Uses the language of 'spirit'/'breath of the Almighty' as the source of life and expression, paralleling the motif of divine breath and human speech in Job 15:13.
- Isaiah 29:13 (thematic): Speaks of mouths that honor God with words while hearts are distant — thematically related to the contrast between spoken words and true relation to God implied in Job 15:13.
- Proverbs 30:5-6 (thematic): Concerns the authority and integrity of words and warns against adding to God's words — connects to the theme of human utterance before God and the propriety of speech.
- Psalm 33:6 (verbal): Describes creation by God's word and 'breath' ('mouth') — parallels the shared biblical imagery of word/breath as powerful and authoritative compared with human speech.
Alternative generated candidates
- Because you would set your spirit against God and let fall proud words from your mouth.
- For you have turned your spirit against God and let loose words from your mouth.
Job.15.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- אנוש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- יזכה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וכי: CONJ
- יצדק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ילוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 25:4 (verbal): A close verbal echo: both verses ask how a person born of woman can be righteous or pure before God, emphasizing human impurity and insufficiency.
- Job 9:2 (verbal): Job's rhetorical question ('How can a man be righteous before God?') parallels Eliphaz's challenge about the possibility of human righteousness.
- Psalm 8:4 (thematic): The similar rhetorical question 'What is man that you are mindful of him?' reflects the theme of human insignificance and frailty in relation to God.
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 (thematic): The statement that no one on earth is truly righteous and free from sin parallels the claim that those born of women cannot be morally pure.
- Romans 3:10 (thematic): Paul's declaration 'None is righteous, no, not one' echoes the motif of universal human unrighteousness found in Job 15:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- What is man that he should be pure, and he who is born of woman that he should be righteous?
- What is man that he should be clean, and one born of woman that he should be righteous?
Job.15.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הן: PART
- בקדשיו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,suff,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יאמין: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ושמים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- זכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בעיניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
Parallels
- Job 25:4 (verbal): Directly parallels the theme of human impurity before God: questions how a mortal can be clean before the holy God ('how can he be clean that is born of a woman').
- Isaiah 6:5 (thematic): Isaiah's cry of unworthiness ('Woe is me... for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips') contrasts the prophet's impurity with God's holiness, echoing Job 15:15's juxtaposition of human and heavenly purity.
- Habakkuk 1:13 (thematic): Affirms God's transcendent purity ('Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil'), resonating with the assertion that even the heavens are not clean in God's sight.
- Psalm 24:3-4 (structural): Sets conditions for approaching God ('who shall stand in his holy place? he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart'), reflecting the concern with moral/ritual purity before the divine presence.
- Exodus 33:20 (thematic): God's declaration that no one may see his face and live underscores the absolute holiness and otherness of God implied in Job 15:15's contrast between God's purity and human/created defilement.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, God will not trust his holy ones; the heavens are not clean in his sight.
- Behold, even his holy ones he does not trust, and the heavens are not pure in his sight.
Job.15.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אף: ADV
- כי: CONJ
- נתעב: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- ונאלח: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שתה: VERB,qal,impv,2,sg
- כמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:29-35 (verbal): Uses drinking imagery (wine) to portray persistent indulgence and its corrupting effects—parallels Job 15:16's metaphor of men 'drinking' iniquity like water.
- Psalm 14:1-3 (cf. Psalm 53:1-3) (thematic): Declares the universal depravity of humanity ('none who does good'), resonating with Eliphaz's claim that man is abominable and filthy.
- Romans 3:10-12,23 (quotation): Paul (quoting the Psalms) affirms universal sinfulness ('none is righteous... all have sinned'), echoing Job 15:16's depiction of pervasive human corruption.
- Ecclesiastes 9:3 (thematic): States that 'the hearts of men are full of evil,' reinforcing the theme in Job 15:16 of innate human wickedness and habitual embrace of sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- How much more abominable and vile is man—one who drinks guilt like water!
- How much more those who are abominable and corrupt—men who drink up iniquity like water!
Job.15.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אחוך: CONJ
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- וזה: CONJ+PRON,dem,m,sg,abs
- חזיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- ואספרה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 John 1:1 (verbal): Near-identical first-person eyewitness language — 'what we have seen and have declared to you' — matching Job's claim to have seen and to declare it.
- John 3:11 (verbal): Uses the same rhetorical posture of testimony: 'we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen,' paralleling Job's assertion of hearing/seeing and declaring.
- Psalm 40:9 (thematic): A vow to proclaim what one has seen/experienced before others ('I have proclaimed righteousness... I will not hide thy steadfast love'), echoing the theme of publicly declaring observed truth.
- Amos 3:1 (thematic): Both verses begin with a summons to 'hear' and introduce a forthcoming declaration; the rhetorical structure (call to listen followed by a testimonial or prophetic message) is parallel.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear me, and give ear; this I have seen, and I will tell it.
- Hear now, listen to me; this I have seen, I will make known what I have perceived.
Job.15.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשר: PRON,rel
- חכמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- יגידו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- כחדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מאבותם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 78:1-4 (thematic): Both passages emphasize public declaration of wise teaching and the duty not to conceal God’s works/traditions from the next generation (’not hide from their children/fathers’ theme).
- Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (thematic): Commands to keep and speak God’s teachings to one’s children—the idea of preserving and openly declaring wisdom/tradition across generations echoes Job’s statement.
- Deuteronomy 4:9 (thematic): Warning to take care and teach what was witnessed to one’s children so they not be lost—parallels the concern for transmitting what the wise declare and not hiding it.
- Proverbs 1:8 (verbal): Calls for listening to a father’s instruction and guidance; parallels the social matrix of transmitted wisdom and the expectation that wise sayings be declared within familial/teaching contexts.
Alternative generated candidates
- What the wise declare they did not hide from their fathers;
- What the wise declare, and not hide from their fathers,
Job.15.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לבדם: ADV+PRON,3,m,pl
- נתנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- עבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- בתוכם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (allusion): Speaks of the allotment of nations and that the LORD's portion is Israel (Jacob), echoing the idea that the land was given specifically to a chosen people.
- Psalm 78:54-55 (verbal): Describes God giving the land to Israel and dispossessing other nations—language closely parallel to 'the land was given to them' and no foreigner passing among them.
- Psalm 105:44-45 (verbal): States that God gave Israel the lands of the nations and they took possession of the labor of the peoples, reinforcing the same motif of exclusive grant and possession.
- Numbers 33:53 (thematic): Instruction that Israel must dispossess the inhabitants and possess the land which God has given them, reflecting the theme of exclusive possession of the land.
- Deuteronomy 6:10 (thematic): Promises that when the LORD brings Israel into the land he swore to give their fathers, they will possess it—parallel in promise of land allotted to Israel alone.
Alternative generated candidates
- to them alone the land was given; no stranger passed among them.
- to them alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them.
Job.15.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- מתחולל: VERB,hitp,impf,3,m,sg
- ומספר: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נצפנו: VERB,nip,perf,1,pl
- לעריץ: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 10:27 (verbal): Proverb explicitly contrasts length of life: 'the years of the wicked will be shortened,' echoing Job 15:20’s concern with the days/years allotted to the wicked.
- Job 20:4-5 (structural): Zophar (same cycle of speeches) insists the exaltation of the wicked is brief and their joy momentary—closely paralleling Eliphaz’s claim about the fate and limited days of the wicked.
- Job 21:7-13 (structural): Job’s reply surveys examples where the wicked live long and prosper, offering a direct counterpoint within the book to Eliphaz’s assertion that the wicked’s days are troubled/limited.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (thematic): Asserts that the wicked are ultimately set in 'slippery places' and brought to ruin—sharing the theme of the eventual downfall and misfortune of the wicked found in Job 15:20.
Alternative generated candidates
- Through all his days the wicked is restless; the number of his years is stored up for the oppressor.
- The days of the wicked are recorded; the number of his months is reserved for the tyrant.
Job.15.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פחדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- באזניו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בשלום: PREP
- שודד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יבואנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:27 (verbal): Both verses pair the coming of fear/terror with ensuing destruction—'your fear' and 'destruction' in Proverbs echoes Job’s 'a sound of terrors in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come.'
- Psalm 73:19-20 (thematic): Speaks of the sudden downfall of the prosperous—'brought to desolation... consumed with terrors'—paralleling Job’s theme of abrupt ruin and terror overtaking one in prosperity.
- Proverbs 28:1 (thematic): 'The wicked flee when no one pursues' expresses the motif of fear and panic that afflicts the guilty even absent an immediate threat, resonating with Job’s image of a 'sound of fears' in the ears.
- Proverbs 10:25 (thematic): Describes sudden removal of the wicked—'when the tempest passes, the wicked is no more'—echoing Job’s idea that prosperity can be followed by unexpected destruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- A cry of terrors is in his ears; at peace, a robber will come upon him.
- Fear's cry is in his ears; in peace a marauder will come upon him.
Job.15.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- יאמין: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שוב: ADV
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- חשך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וצפוי: CONJ+ADJ,ptc,qal,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 5:14 (verbal): Uses the image of encountering darkness at unexpected times—‘they meet with darkness in the daytime’—echoing Job 15:22’s motif of being overtaken by darkness and disaster.
- Proverbs 4:19 (thematic): Describes the way of the wicked as 'deep darkness' causing them to stumble; parallels the verse’s association of darkness with moral ruin and judgment.
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Speaks of the wicked’s sudden end and consumption—'they will vanish'—comparable to Job 15:22’s theme of imminent destruction (appointed to the sword).
- Psalm 73:18-19 (thematic): Depicts the downfall of the wicked—set in slippery places and cast down to ruin—resonating with Job 15:22’s foreshadowing of violent end and loss of stability.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will not trust that he can return from darkness; he is appointed for the sword.
- He will not trust to return from darkness; he is set for the sword.
Job.15.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- נדד: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ללחם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איה: ADV,interr
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- נכון: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- בידו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חשך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 107:4-9 (thematic): Both passages portray people wandering in the wilderness in search of food and help; the image of desperate wandering for bread parallels Job 15:23's depiction of hunger and helplessness.
- Job 24:7 (structural): Another passage within Job describes the driven-out and hungry who roam for sustenance; it functions as a close structural/contextual parallel to 15:23's picture of wandering and privation.
- Amos 5:18 (verbal): Amos speaks of the coming 'day' as one of darkness rather than light; Job 15:23 likewise links impending calamity to a 'day of darkness,' making a parallel in language and the idea of looming judgment.
- Hosea 4:6 (thematic): Hosea's warning that a people perish for lack of knowledge echoes Job 15:23's coupling of ignorance or absence of understanding with misery and an approaching dark day.
Alternative generated candidates
- He wanders about for bread—'Where is it?'—for he knows a day of darkness is ready at his hand.
- He wanders for bread—'Where is it?'—while the day of darkness stands ready at his hand.
Job.15.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יבעתהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומצוקה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תתקפהו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כמלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עתיד: ADJ,m,sg
- לכידור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:27 (verbal): Uses similar language and imagery of sudden calamity and distress overtaking the wicked — 'when your fear cometh as desolation… your destruction cometh as a whirlwind' (parallels the idea of distress seizing a person).
- Job 18:18-19 (thematic): From the same cycle of speeches (Bildad’s reply) describing the doom of the wicked: darkness and calamity overwhelm him and he is driven from the light — closely parallels Job 15’s motif of being seized by distress.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (thematic): Speaks of the fate of the wicked being set in slippery places and cast down into destruction — echoes the theme of sudden, inescapable ruin that seizes the sinner.
- Proverbs 16:18 (thematic): ‘Pride goeth before destruction’ — expresses the common wisdom theme that arrogance or wickedness is followed by imminent calamity, corresponding to Job 15’s prediction that distress will overtake the wrongdoer.
Alternative generated candidates
- Distress will terrify him, and anguish will overtake him like a king marshaling his host.
- Distress and anguish shall overtake him; trouble shall seize him like a warrior prepared for battle.
Job.15.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- נטה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אל: NEG
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- שדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתגבר: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 9:4 (verbal): Uses similar language of one setting himself against God—‘who hath hardened himself against him?’—echoing the idea of opposing the Almighty.
- Psalm 2:1-2 (thematic): Speaks of nations and rulers plotting against the LORD and his anointed, thematically parallel to human rebellion and defiance toward God.
- Proverbs 21:30 (thematic): Asserts that 'there is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the LORD,' underscoring the futility of opposing God’s power, a counterpoint to the claim of opposing the Almighty.
- Isaiah 14:13-14 (thematic): The proud king’s boast to ascend and be 'like the Most High' parallels the motif of arrogant defiance against God and attempting to usurp divine authority.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he has stretched out his hand against God and strengthened himself against the Almighty.
- For he stretched out his hand against God, and strengthened himself against the Almighty.
Job.15.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ירוץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- בצואר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעבי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- גבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- מגניו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 28:1 (thematic): Both texts depict the wicked as prone to sudden flight and fear—'the wicked flee though no one pursues' resonates with Job 15:26's image of running/fleeing under threat.
- Isaiah 2:19 (thematic): Isaiah's picture of people fleeing and hiding in caves from the terror of the LORD parallels Job's scene of desperate flight and the failure of ordinary protections.
- Nahum 1:6 (thematic): Nahum emphasizes that none can stand before God's fury and that human defenses fail—echoing Job 15:26's sense of flight and the inadequacy of shields/safety.
- Exodus 14:10 (structural): When Israel sees Pharaoh's host they are seized with panic and cry out—this concrete scene of sudden terror and flight structurally parallels the abrupt, panicked flight evoked in Job 15:26.
Alternative generated candidates
- Attack will run upon him at the neck—into the thick of his shields.
- He will rush upon him with a proud neck, with the hardened bucklers of his shields.
Job.15.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כסה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- פניו: NOUN,m,pl,cons+3,m,sg
- בחלבו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- פימה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כסל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 73:7-9 (verbal): Uses imagery of bulging eyes and fatness to describe the prosperous, self‑satisfied wicked—parallel verbal motif of 'fat' as sign of arrogant abundance in Job 15:27.
- Job 21:7-13 (structural): Job argues that the wicked often live in prosperity and security; thematically parallels Eliphaz’s depiction of the proud, well‑fed wicked in chapter 15.
- Job 20:4-11 (verbal): Zophar describes the wicked’s flesh and wealth and the apparent prosperity that accompanies wickedness—verbal and thematic kinship with the ‘covered with fat’ image.
- Amos 6:1-7 (thematic): Condemns the complacent, indulgent elites who feast and lounge in security; thematically echoes the portrait of self‑satisfied abundance in Job 15:27.
- Luke 16:19-31 (thematic): Parable of the rich, self‑indulgent man who enjoys luxury but faces judgment—New Testament parallel to the motif of prosperous arrogance and its moral critique in Job 15.
Alternative generated candidates
- He has covered his face with his fat and set a lofty brow upon his head.
- He covered his face with fat and he made his strength to swell; he filled his body with fatness.
Job.15.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישכון: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- ערים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נכחדות: VERB,niphal,part,0,f,pl
- בתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- התעתדו: VERB,hitpael,perf,3,m,pl
- לגלים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:30 (verbal): Covenantal curse language: 'You shall build a house, and you shall not dwell in it'—a close verbal parallel about houses that are not lived in.
- Leviticus 26:31 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses declaring that cities and sanctuaries will be made waste and desolate—shares the theme of divine judgment producing uninhabited towns and houses.
- Isaiah 24:10 (thematic): Describes cities and houses left desolate and uninhabited as the land suffers divine devastation, echoing the image of deserted dwellings.
- Zephaniah 2:13-15 (thematic): Prophecy against Nineveh depicting the city made a desolation and houses left empty (often filled by wild creatures), resonating with the motif of deserted towns and dwellings.
- Jeremiah 19:8 (verbal): Pronounces a city 'a desolation' that becomes an astonishment to passersby—similar verbal imagery of urban desolation and uninhabited houses as judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will dwell in ruined cities; in houses where no one lives—houses destined to be heaps.
- He dwelt in desolate cities, in houses no one inhabited—places laid in ruins which were ready to be heaps.
Job.15.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- יעשר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חילו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+pr3ms
- ולא: CONJ
- יטה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מנלם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:5 (thematic): Both warn that riches are fleeting and cannot be relied on—wealth 'flies away' and does not endure.
- Psalm 49:16-17 (thematic): Speaks of the futility of trusting in wealth at death—riches cannot be carried off and do not secure a man's lot.
- Ecclesiastes 5:15 (thematic): Declares that a person leaves this life with nothing of his toil to take away, echoing the idea that acquisitions do not permanently remain.
- Job 20:15-19 (thematic): Zophar's description of the fate of the wicked stresses that their possessions and glory come to nothing—paralleling Job 15:29's claim that wealth will not stand.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will not grow rich; his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions remain upon the earth.
- He shall not grow rich, his wealth will not endure; his possessions shall not extend on the earth.
Job.15.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- יסור: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- חשך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ינקתו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- תיבש: VERB,qal,imprf,3,f,sg
- שלהבת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויסור: CONJ+VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,sg
- ברוח: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
Parallels
- Job 18:5-6 (verbal): Bildad describes the fate of the wicked with nearly identical imagery: the light/flame of the wicked goes out and their fire is quenched, echoing Job 15:30's extinguished flame and darkness.
- Proverbs 13:9 (verbal): Contrasts light of the righteous with the lamp of the wicked being put out—similar concise verbal motif of a light/lamps extinguished for the wicked.
- Isaiah 5:24 (thematic): Uses fire imagery of consuming stubble and chaff to portray divine judgment that consumes and leaves nothing—parallels the motif of extinguished flame and ruin in Job 15:30.
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Speaks of the wicked perishing and passing away like smoke, employing disappearance and extinguishing metaphors that thematically mirror Job 15:30's darkness and quenched flame.
Alternative generated candidates
- It will not withdraw from darkness; its shoot will be parched, its branch burned off, and it will wither in the wind of his mouth.
- From the midst of darkness he will not go forth; a flame will wither his shoots, and a blaze will consume the sap of his roots.
Job.15.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- יאמן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בשיו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נתעה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- שוא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- תמורתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 8:13-14 (verbal): Bildad warns that the way of those who forget God leads to perishing: 'the hope of the godless shall perish.' Closely parallels Job 15:31's caution that trusting in emptiness/vanity yields a vain recompense.
- Jeremiah 17:5 (thematic): 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man...'—a prophetic warning against misplaced trust in human or empty things, with consequent judgment, echoing the theme of trusting in vanity and receiving vain recompense.
- Psalm 146:3 (thematic): 'Put not your trust in princes... in whom there is no help.' This admonition not to rely on mere human/vanishing supports parallels Job 15:31's injunction against trusting in deceptive vanity.
- Isaiah 31:1 (allusion): 'Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help... who rely on horses'—Isaiah's rebuke of trusting in earthly, unreliable aids rather than God echoes Job's charge that trusting in vanity brings ruin.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let him not trust in emptiness; for vain will be his recompense.
- Let him not trust in vanity— for it will be his recompense; it will be false to him.
Job.15.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בלא: PREP
- יומו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+prs3ms
- תמלא: VERB,qal,imprf,3,f,sg
- וכפתו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,suff3ms
- לא: PART_NEG
- רעננה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 1:3 (verbal): Both use the tree/branch metaphor for human prosperity—Psalm says the righteous' leaf does not wither, while Job 15:32 says the (wicked) branch will not be green (i.e., will wither).
- Job 8:16-19 (structural): Bildad (Job 8) uses closely parallel imagery of roots/branches drying up and the brief prosperity of the godless; an intra‑book parallel to Eliphaz’s claim that the branch will not be green.
- Psalm 92:7 (thematic): Psalm 92 depicts the fleeting prosperity of the wicked—though they flourish for a time they are destroyed—echoing Job 15:32’s theme that apparent vigor (a green branch) does not endure for the unrighteous.
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Psalm 37 contrasts the temporary appearance of the wicked with their ultimate removal (‘the wicked will perish’/‘vanish’), matching Job 15:32’s claim that the prosperity or ‘greenness’ of the wicked will not last.
Alternative generated candidates
- Before its time it will fill out; his branch will not be fresh—his vine will not be green.
- In the fullness of his days he will be filled, yet his vigor will not remain; his bow will not be made fresh.
Job.15.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יחמס: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כגפן: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בסרו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישלך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כזית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נצתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 5:1-7 (thematic): Uses the vineyard/vineyard-owner motif to depict a once-promising vine that fails to produce good fruit and therefore receives judgment — parallel imagery of a vine signifying ruined fruitfulness and divine judgment.
- John 15:1-6 (structural): Jesus' vine-and-branches metaphor describes unfruitful branches being pruned or cast away; structurally similar language of a vine and removal of unfruitfulness echoes Job's vine/olive imagery of loss or rejection.
- Psalm 80:8-16 (thematic): Speaks of God bringing a vine out of Egypt, planting it, and then its suffering when enemies ravage it; the vine-image here parallels Job's use of vine imagery to convey vulnerability, loss, or judgment.
- Hosea 10:1-2 (thematic): Portrays Israel as a luxuriant vine whose fruit brings shame and provokes judgment; the contrast between apparent prosperity and ensuing ruin resonates with Job's vine/olive metaphors for downfall.
- Romans 11:17-24 (allusion): Uses the olive-tree metaphor for branches being broken off (rejection) and others grafted in — the image of an olive branch cast away or separated parallels Job's olive imagery of being thrown away or losing status/fruitfulness.
Alternative generated candidates
- It will be torn off like a vine and cast away like an olive—its blossom will be fired.
- He will be cut off like a grapevine at its season, and like an olive his root will be cast away.
Job.15.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- עדת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- חנף: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- גלמוד: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ואש: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אכלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אהלי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- שחד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 17:23 (verbal): Uses the same motif of bribery (שָׁחַד) as a moral corruption — 'A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice,' echoing Job's 'tents of bribery.'
- Micah 3:11 (thematic): Condemns leaders and priests who 'give judgment for a bribe' and 'teach for a price,' paralleling Job's denunciation of a corrupt, bribery‑ridden community doomed to ruin.
- Isaiah 1:23 (thematic): Accuses rulers who 'love bribes' and shows social/religious corruption; like Job 15:34 it links bribery with communal guilt that brings judgment.
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Speaks of the fate of the wicked — destruction and vanishing like smoke — paralleling Job's image of fire consuming the tents of the godless/bribers as divine judgment.
- Jeremiah 22:17 (thematic): Charges leaders whose 'eyes and heart are set on dishonest gain,' promising ruin for oppression and greed; thematically parallels Job's link between bribery/corruption and forfeited prosperity.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the company of the violent is desolate, and fire devours the tents of ill-gotten gain.
- For the company of the wicked is barren, and fire has consumed the tents of those who take bribes.
Job.15.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הרה: ADJ,f,sg
- עמל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וילד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- און: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובטנם: NOUN,f,sg,suff3mp
- תכין: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- מרמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 7:14 (verbal): Very close wording and imagery: the wicked 'travails with iniquity, conceives mischief, and brings forth falsehood'—a near verbal parallel to conceiving trouble and preparing deceit.
- Psalm 58:3 (thematic): Uses birth/womb imagery to depict innate wickedness and deceit ('the wicked are estranged from the womb... speaking lies'), echoing the motif of conceiving/bringing forth evil.
- Job 5:7 (thematic): Links birth/origin with trouble ('man is born unto trouble'), sharing the broader theme of being associated with or producing trouble from birth or conception.
- Micah 2:1 (thematic): Speaks of secretly devising iniquity and working evil ('Woe to them that devise iniquity'), paralleling the idea of preparing or conceiving deceitful schemes.
- Matthew 7:16-18 (structural): Jesus' 'by their fruits you shall know them' / 'a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit' provides a structural/thematic parallel: persons inherently produce (bring forth) evil consistent with their character.
Alternative generated candidates
- They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb prepares deceit.
- They conceive wickedness and bear iniquity; their womb prepares deceit.
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
Shall a wise man answer with empty notions, and fill his belly with the east wind?
Reproof with words will not be listened to; speech will do him no good.
You yourself tear away reverence and cut off discourse before God.
For your mouth teaches your iniquity, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
Your own mouth will condemn you, not I; your lips will testify against you.
Were you the first of men, born before the hills?
Have you heard the secret counsel of God, and kept wisdom for yourself alone?
What have you known that we do not know? What have you understood that is not with us?
Are there not elders among us—men of experience—even those older than your father?
Does God give you few consolations, and a brief word only to you?
What is it your heart takes hold of, and what is that gleam in your eyes?
For you would lift your spirit against God and put forth words from your mouth.
What is man that he should be pure? Or a mortal born of woman that he should be righteous?
Behold, even his holy ones he does not trust; the heavens are not pure in his sight.
How much less one who is abhorred and base—one who drinks up wrongdoing like water!
Hear now my rebuke; give ear to what I have seen and will declare.
What the wise have spoken I will relate, and they did not hide it from their fathers.
To them alone the earth was given; no stranger passed among them.
All the days of the wicked are laid up, and the number of years is reserved for the oppressor.
Terrors are in his ears; in the day of peace a marauder will come upon him.
He will have no hope of return from darkness; he is appointed for the sword.
He wanders for bread—"Where is it?"—for the day of darkness stands ready at hand.
Dread will terrify him, and distress will seize him like a king prepared for battle.
For he leaned his hand against God and strengthened himself against the Almighty.
He hurries at him with the thick bosses of his shield.
He has covered his face with fat and made his body heavy with fat.
He dwells in ruined cities, in houses no one inhabits—made ready to be heaps.
He will not become prosperous; his wealth will not endure, his possessions will not spread over the land.
He will not escape from darkness; his lamp will be extinguished—the flame snuffed out by the wind of his mouth.
Do not trust in empty things and be misled, for they will be nothing for his reward.
He will be filled before his appointed day, yet his branch shall not be green.
He will wither like a vine when it is cut, and be cast off like an olive that is shaken off.
For the company of the godless is desolate, and fire has consumed the tents of bribery.
They conceive mischief and bear iniquity; their womb prepares deceit.