1 Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ Ελιφας 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 ῥήμασιν
γόνασίν τε ἀδυνατοῦσιν θάρσος περιέθηκας,
5 νῦν δὲ ἥκει ἐπὶ σὲ πόνος καὶ ἥψατό σου, σὺ δὲ ἐσπούδασας.
6 πότερον οὐχ ὁ φόβος σού ἐστιν ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ
καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς σου καὶ ἡ ἀκακία τῆς ὁδοῦ σου;
7 μνήσθητι οὖν τίς καθαρὸς ὢν ἀπώλετο
ἢ πότε ἀληθινοὶ ὁλόρριζοι ἀπώλοντο.
8 καθ᾽ 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 βοράν,
σκύμνοι δὲ λεόντων ἔλιπον ἀλλήλους.
12 εἰ δέ τι ῥῆμα ἀληθινὸν ἐγεγόνει ἐν λόγοις σου,
οὐθὲν ἄν σοι τούτων κακὸν ἀπήντησεν.
πότερον οὐ δέξεταί μου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ;
13 φόβοι δὲ καὶ ἠχὼ νυκτερινή,
ἐπιπίπτων φόβος ἐπ᾽ ἀνθρώπους,
14 φρίκη δέ μοι συνήντησεν καὶ τρόμος
καὶ μεγάλως μου τὰ ὀστᾶ συνέσεισεν,
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,
ἀλλ᾽ ἢ αὔραν καὶ φωνὴν ἤκουον
17 Τί γάρ; μὴ καθαρὸς ἔσται βροτὸς ἐναντίον κυρίου
ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἄμεμπτος ἀνήρ;
18 εἰ κατὰ παίδων αὐτοῦ οὐ πιστεύει,
κατὰ δὲ ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ σκολιόν τι ἐπενόησεν,
19 τοὺς δὲ κατοικοῦντας οἰκίας πηλίνας,
ἐξ ὧν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πηλοῦ ἐσμεν,
ἔπαισεν αὐτοὺς σητὸς τρόπον·
20 καὶ ἀπὸ πρωίθεν ἕως ἑσπέρας οὐκέτι εἰσίν,
παρὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς βοηθῆσαι ἀπώλοντο·
21 ἐνεφύσησεν γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐξηράνθησαν,
ἀπώλοντο παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς σοφίαν.
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2 If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking? 3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. 4 Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. 5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. 6 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? 8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. 9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed. 10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.
12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. 13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. 15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying , 17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? 18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: 19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? 20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it . 21 Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.