15:1

וַיַּעַן אֱלִיפַז הַתֵּימָנִי וַיֹּאמַר׃

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:

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15:2

הֶחָכָם יַעֲנֶה דַעַת־רוּחַ וִימַלֵּא קָדִים בִּטְנוֹ׃

Should a wise man make answer with windy knowledge, And fill his belly with the east wind?

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15:3

הוֹכֵחַ בְּדָבָר לֹא יִסְכּוֹן וּמִלִּים לֹא־יוֹעִיל בָּם׃

Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

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15:4

אַף־אַתָּה תָּפֵר יִרְאָה וְתִגְרַע שִׂיחָה לִפְנֵי־אֵל׃

Yea, thou doest away with fear, And impairest devotion before God.

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15:5

כִּי יְאַלֵּף עֲוֺנְךָ פִיךָ וְתִבְחַר לְשׁוֹן עֲרוּמִים׃

For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

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15:6

יַרְשִׁיעֲךָ פִיךָ וְלֹא־אָנִי וּשְׂפָתֶיךָ יַעֲנוּ־בָךְ׃

Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

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15:7

הֲרִאישׁוֹן אָדָם תִּוָּלֵד וְלִפְנֵי גְבָעוֹת חוֹלָלְתָּ׃

Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?

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15:8

הַבְסוֹד אֱלוֹהַ תִּשְׁמָע וְתִגְרַע אֵלֶיךָ חָכְמָה׃

Dost thou hearken in the council of God? And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

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15:9

מַה־יָּדַעְתָּ וְלֹא נֵדָע תָּבִין וְלֹא־עִמָּנוּ הוּא׃

What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?

15:10

גַּם־שָׂב גַּם־יָשִׁישׁ בָּנוּ כַּבִּיר מֵאָבִיךָ יָמִים׃

With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much older than thy father.

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15:11

הַמְעַט מִמְּךָ תַּנְחֻמוֹת אֵל וְדָבָר לָאַט עִמָּךְ׃

Are the consolations of God too small for thee, And the word that dealeth gently with thee?

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15:12

מַה־יִּקָּחֲךָ לִבֶּךָ וּמַה־יִּרְזְמוּן עֵינֶיךָ׃

Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes wink?

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15:13

כִּי־תָשִׁיב אֶל־אֵל רוּחֶךָ וְהֹצֵאתָ מִפִּיךָ מִלִּין׃

That thou turnest thy spirit against God, And lettest such words go out of thy mouth.

15:14

מָה־אֱנוֹשׁ כִּי־יִזְכֶּה וְכִי־יִצְדַּק יְלוּד אִשָּׁה׃

What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

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15:15

הֵן בקדשו [בִּקְדֹשָׁיו] לֹא יַאֲמִין וְשָׁמַיִם לֹא־זַכּוּ בְעֵינָיו׃

Behold, He putteth no trust in His holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight.

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15:16

אַף כִּי־נִתְעָב וְנֶאֱלָח אִישׁ־שֹׁתֶה כַמַּיִם עַוְלָה׃

How much less one that is abominable and impure, Man who drinketh iniquity like water! .

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15:17

אֲחַוְךָ שְׁמַע־לִי וְזֶה־חָזִיתִי וַאֲסַפֵּרָה׃

I will tell thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare—

15:18

אֲשֶׁר־חֲכָמִים יַגִּידוּ וְלֹא כִחֲדוּ מֵאֲבוֹתָם׃

Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;

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15:19

לָהֶם לְבַדָּם נִתְּנָה הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא־עָבַר זָר בְּתוֹכָם׃

Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them.

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15:20

כָּל־יְמֵי רָשָׁע הוּא מִתְחוֹלֵל וּמִסְפַּר שָׁנִים נִצְפְּנוּ לֶעָרִיץ׃

The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.

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15:21

קוֹל־פְּחָדִים בְּאָזְנָיו בַּשָּׁלוֹם שׁוֹדֵד יְבוֹאֶנּוּ׃

A sound of terrors is in his ears: In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

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15:22

לֹא־יַאֲמִין שׁוּב מִנִּי־חֹשֶׁךְ וצפו [וְצָפוּי] הוּא אֱלֵי־חָרֶב׃

He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.

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15:23

נֹדֵד הוּא לַלֶּחֶם אַיֵּה יָדַע כִּי־נָכוֹן בְּיָדוֹ יוֹם־חֹשֶׁךְ׃

He wandereth abroad for bread: ‘Where is it?’ He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

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15:24

יְבַעֲתֻהוּ צַר וּמְצוּקָה תִּתְקְפֵהוּ כְּמֶלֶךְ עָתִיד לַכִּידוֹר׃

Distress and anguish overwhelm him; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

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15:25

כִּי־נָטָה אֶל־אֵל יָדוֹ וְאֶל־שַׁדַּי יִתְגַּבָּר׃

Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;

15:26

יָרוּץ אֵלָיו בְּצַוָּאר בַּעֲבִי גַּבֵּי מָגִנָּיו׃

He runneth upon him with a stiff neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers.

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15:27

כִּי־כִסָּה פָנָיו בְּחֶלְבּוֹ וַיַּעַשׂ פִּימָה עֲלֵי־כָסֶל׃

Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And made collops of fat on his loins;

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15:28

וַיִּשְׁכּוֹן עָרִים נִכְחָדוֹת בָּתִּים לֹא־יֵשְׁבוּ לָמוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַתְּדוּ לְגַלִּים׃

And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man would inhabit, Which were ready to become heaps.

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15:29

לֹא־יֶעְשַׁר וְלֹא־יָקוּם חֵילוֹ וְלֹא־יִטֶּה לָאָרֶץ מִנְלָם׃

He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their produce bend to the earth.

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15:30

לֹא־יָסוּר מִנִּי־חֹשֶׁךְ יֹנַקְתּוֹ תְּיַבֵּשׁ שַׁלְהָבֶת וְיָסוּר בְּרוּחַ פִּיו׃

He shall not depart out of darkness; The flame shall dry up his branches, And by the breath of His mouth shall he go away.

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15:31

אַל־יַאֲמֵן בשו [בַּשָּׁיו] נִתְעָה כִּי־שָׁוְא תִּהְיֶה תְמוּרָתוֹ׃

Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.

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15:32

בְּלֹא־יוֹמוֹ תִּמָּלֵא וְכִפָּתוֹ לֹא רַעֲנָנָה׃

It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be leafy.

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15:33

יַחְמֹס כַּגֶּפֶן בִּסְרוֹ וְיַשְׁלֵךְ כַּזַּיִת נִצָּתוֹ׃

He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive.

15:34

כִּי־עֲדַת חָנֵף גַּלְמוּד וְאֵשׁ אָכְלָה אָהֳלֵי־שֹׁחַד׃

For the company of the godless shall be desolate, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

15:35

הָרֹה עָמָל וְיָלֹד אָוֶן וּבִטְנָם תָּכִין מִרְמָה׃

They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their belly prepareth deceit.

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