1 וַיַּעַן אֱלִיפַז הַתֵּימָנִי וַיֹּאמַר | 1 Eliphaz of Teman spoke next. He said: |
2 הֶחָכָם יַעֲנֶה דַעַת־רוּחַ וִימַלֵּא קָדִים בִּטְנֹו | 2 Does anyone wise respond with windy arguments, or feed on an east wind? |
3 הֹוכֵחַ בְּדָבָר לֹא יִסְכֹּון וּמִלִּים לֹא־יֹועִיל בָּם | 3 Or make a defence with ineffectual words and speeches good for nothing? |
4 אַף־אַתָּה תָּפֵר יִרְאָה וְתִגְרַע יחָה לִפְנֵי־אֵל | 4 You do worse: you suppress reverence, you discredit discussion before God. |
5 כִּי יְאַלֵּף עֲוֹנְךָ פִיךָ וְתִבְחַר לְשֹׁון עֲרוּמִים | 5 Your very fault incites you to speak like this, hence you adopt this language of cunning. |
6 יַרְשִׁיעֲךָ פִיךָ וְלֹא־אָנִי וּשְׂפָתֶיךָ יַעֲנוּ־בָךְ | 6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; your own lips bear witness against you. |
7 הֲרִאישֹׁון אָדָם תִּוָּלֵד וְלִפְנֵי גְבָעֹות חֹולָלְתָּ | 7 Are you the first-born of the human race, brought into the world before the hills? |
8 הַבְסֹוד אֱלֹוהַ תִּשְׁמָע וְתִגְרַע אֵלֶיךָ חָכְמָה | 8 Have you been a listener at God's council, or established a monopoly of wisdom? |
9 מַה־יָּדַעְתָּ וְלֹא נֵדָע תָּבִין וְלֹא־עִמָּנוּ הוּא | 9 What knowledge do you have that we have not, what understanding that is not ours too? |
10 גַּם־שָׂב גַּם־יָשִׁישׁ בָּנוּ כַּבִּיר מֵאָבִיךָ יָמִים | 10 One of us is an old, grey-headed man loaded with more years than your father! |
11 הַמְעַט מִמְּךָ תַּנְחֻמֹות אֵל וְדָבָר לָאַט עִמָּךְ | 11 Can you ignore these divine consolations and the moderate tone of our words? |
12 מַה־יִּקָּחֲךָ לִבֶּךָ וּמַה־יִּרְזְמוּן עֵינֶיךָ | 12 How passion carries you away! And how you rol your eyes, |
13 כִּי־תָשִׁיב אֶל־אֵל רוּחֶךָ וְהֹצֵאתָ מִפִּיךָ מִלִּין | 13 when you vent your anger on God and speeches come tripping off your tongue! |
14 מָה־אֱנֹושׁ כִּי־יִזְכֶּה וְכִי־יִצְדַּק יְלוּד אִשָּׁה | 14 How can anyone be pure, anyone born of woman be upright? |
15 הֵן [בִּקְדֹשֹׁו כ] (בִּקְדֹשָׁיו ק) לֹא יַאֲמִין וְשָׁמַיִם לֹא־זַכּוּ בְעֵינָיו | 15 God cannot rely even on his holy ones, to him, even the heavens seem impure. |
16 אַף כִּי־נִתְעָב וְנֶאֱלָח אִישׁ־שֹׁתֶה כַמַּיִם עַוְלָה | 16 How much more, this hateful, corrupt thing, humanity, which soaks up wickedness like water! |
17 אֲחַוְךָ שְׁמַע־לִי וְזֶה־חָזִיתִי וַאֲסַפֵּרָה | 17 Listen to me, I have a lesson for you: I am going to impart my own experience |
18 אֲשֶׁר־חֲכָמִים יַגִּידוּ וְלֹא כִחֲדוּ מֵאֲבֹותָם | 18 and the tradition of the sages who have remained faithful to their ancestors, |
19 לָהֶם לְבַדָּם נִתְּנָה הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא־עָבַר זָר בְּתֹוכָם | 19 to whom alone the land was given -- no foreigner included among them. |
20 כָּל־יְמֵי רָשָׁע הוּא מִתְחֹולֵל וּמִסְפַּר נִים נִצְפְּנוּ לֶעָרִיץ | 20 The life of the wicked is unceasing torment, the years al otted to the tyrant are numbered. |
21 קֹול־פְּחָדִים בְּאָזְנָיו בַּשָּׁלֹום שֹׁודֵד יְבֹואֶנּוּ | 21 A cry of panic echoes in his ear; when al is peace, his destroyer swoops down on him. |
22 לֹא־יַאֲמִין וּב מִנִּי־חֹשֶׁךְ [וְצָפוּ כ] (וְצָפוּי ק) הוּא אֱלֵי־חָרֶב | 22 No more can he count on escaping from the dark, but knows that he is destined for the sword, |
23 נֹדֵד הוּא לַלֶּחֶם אַיֵּה יָדַע ׀ כִּי־נָכֹון בְּיָדֹו יֹום־חֹשֶׁךְ | 23 marked down as meat for the vulture. He knows that his ruin is at hand. |
24 יְבַעֲתֻהוּ צַר וּמְצוּקָה תִּתְקְפֵהוּ כְּמֶלֶךְ ׀ עָתִיד לַכִּידֹור | 24 The hour of darkness terrifies him, distress and anguish assail him as when a king is poised for theassault. |
25 כִּי־נָטָה אֶל־אֵל יָדֹו וְאֶלשַׁ־דַּי יִתְגַּבָּר | 25 He raised his hand against God, boldly he defied Shaddai! |
26 יָרוּץ אֵלָיו בְּצַוָּאר בַּעֲבִי גַּבֵּי מָגִנָּיו | 26 Head lowered, he charged him, with his massively bossed shield. |
27 כִּי־כִסָּה פָנָיו בְּחֶלְבֹּו וַיַּעַשׂ פִּימָה עֲלֵי־כָסֶל | 27 His face had grown ful and fat, and his thighs too heavy with flesh. |
28 וַיִּשְׁכֹּון ׀ עָרִים נִכְחָדֹות בָּתִּים לֹא־יֵשְׁבוּ לָמֹו אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַתְּדוּ לְגַלִּים | 28 He had occupied the towns he had destroyed, with their uninhabited houses about to fal into ruins; |
29 לֹא־יֶעְשַׁר וְלֹא־יָקוּם חֵילֹו וְלֹא־יִטֶּה לָאָרֶץ מִנְלָם | 29 but no great profit to him, his luck will not hold, he wil cast his shadow over the country no longer, |
30 לֹא־יָסוּר ׀ מִנִּי־חֹשֶׁךְ יֹנַקְתֹּו תְּיַבֵּשׁ שַׁלְהָבֶת וְיָסוּר בְּרוּחַ פִּיו | 30 (he wil not escape the dark). A flame wil scorch his young shoots, the wind will carry off his blossom. |
31 אַל־יַאֲמֵן [בַּשֹּׁו כ] (בַּשָּׁיו ק) נִתְעָה כִּישָׁ־וְא תִּהְיֶה תְמוּרָתֹו | 31 Let him not trust in his great height or delusion will be his. |
32 בְּלֹא־יֹומֹו תִּמָּלֵא וְכִפָּתֹו לֹא רַעֲנָנָה | 32 His palm trees wil wither before their time and his branches never again be green. |
33 יַחְמֹס כַּגֶּפֶן בִּסְרֹו וְיַשְׁלֵךְ כַּזַּיִת נִצָּתֹו | 33 Like the vine, he wil shake off his unripe fruit, like the olive tree, shed his blossom. |
34 כִּי־עֲדַת חָנֵף גַּלְמוּד וְאֵשׁ אָכְלָה אָהֳלֵי־שֹׁחַד | 34 Yes, sterile is the spawn of the sinner, and fire consumes the tents of the venal. |
35 הָרֹה עָמָל וְיָלֹד אָוֶן וּבִטְנָם תָּכִין מִרְמָה׃ ס | 35 Whoever conceives malice, breeds disaster, bears as offspring only a false hope. |