And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.
“Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
“They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?
“Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.
“An idiot will become intelligent When the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.
“Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning.
“But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last.”
“Truly then you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!
“I am a joke to my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and blameless man is a joke.
“The tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure, Whom God brings into their power.
“But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.
“Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you.
“Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
“Does not the ear test words, As the palate tastes its food?
“Behold, He restrains the waters, and they dry up; And He sends them out, and they inundate the earth.
“With Him are strength and sound wisdom, The misled and the misleader belong to Him.
“He loosens the bond of kings And binds their loins with a girdle.
“He makes priests walk barefoot And overthrows the secure ones.
“He deprives the trusted ones of speech And takes away the discernment of the elders.
“He pours contempt on nobles And loosens the belt of the strong.
“He reveals mysteries from the darkness And brings the deep darkness into light.
“He makes the nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.
“He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people And makes them wander in a pathless waste.
“But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God.
“Please hear my argument And listen to the contentions of my lips.
“Will not His majesty terrify you, And the dread of Him fall on you?
Remove Your hand from me, And let not the dread of You terrify me.
“Will You cause a driven leaf to tremble? Or will You pursue the dry chaff?
“For You write bitter things against me And make me to inherit the iniquities of my youth.
“You put my feet in the stocks And watch all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my feet,
“Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!
“Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
“Though its roots grow old in the ground And its stump dies in the dry soil,
At the scent of water it will flourish And put forth sprigs like a plant.
“As water evaporates from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dried up,
So man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no longer, He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.
“If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait Until my change comes.
“You will call, and I will answer You; You will long for the work of Your hands.
“But the falling mountain crumbles away, And the rock moves from its place;
Water wears away stones, Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth; So You destroy man’s hope.
Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded,
“Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge And fill himself with the east wind?
“For your guilt teaches your mouth, And you choose the language of the crafty.
“Were you the first man to be born, Or were you brought forth before the hills?
“Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?
“Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Older than your father.
“Are the consolations of God too small for you, Even the word spoken gently with you?
“Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight;
To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them.
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
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