1 فأجابَ أليفازُ التِّيمانيُّ:
2 «أحكيمٌ وتُجيـبُ بِكلامٍ فارغٍ
كمَن في جَوفِهِ ريحٌ شرقيَّةٌ؟
3 فتُجادِلَ سِواكَ بِـحُجَجٍ واهيةٍ
وبأقوالٍ لا يُعوَّلُ علَيها؟
4 بل أنتَ تَنقُضُ مَخافَةَ اللهِ
وتُعيقُ كُلَّ خُشوعٍ أمامَهُ.
5 خُبثُكَ يُملي علَيكَ كلامَكَ،
وأنتَ تَختارُ لِسانَ الماكِرينَ.
6 أنا لا أدينُكَ، بل فَمُكَ.
وشفتاكَ تَشهدانِ علَيكَ.
7 أوُلِدتَ أنتَ أوَّلَ البشَرِ
أم أبدَعَكَ اللهُ قَبلَ التِّلالِ؟
8 هل سَمِعتَ أسرارَ اللهِ،
أمِ احتكرتَ الحكمةَ لِنَفْسِكَ؟
9 ماذا تَعرِفُ أنتَ ولا نَعرِفُ،
أم ماذا فَهِمتَ وخَفيَ عَنَّا؟
10 كم مِنَ الشِّيـبِ عِندَنا والشُّيوخِ،
أصغَرُهُم في السِّنِّ أكبَرُ مِنْ أبـيكَ.
11 ألا تكفيكَ تَعزيَةُ اللهِ لكَ
والرِّفْقُ في كلامِنا معَكَ؟
12 لماذا يَغتاظُ قلبُكَ،
ولماذا تَزْوَرُّ عيناكَ؟
13 فيَرتَدَّ على اللهِ غضَبُكَ
ويَلفُظَ هذا الكلامَ فَمُكَ.
14 ما الإنسانُ ليكونَ طاهِرا؟
ولَدَتْهُ امرَأةٌ فكيفَ يَصلُحُ.
15 القِدِّيسونَ لا يأتَمِنُهُمُ اللهُ،
والسَّماواتُ غَيرُ طاهِرةٍ عِندَهُ،
16 فكيفَ الإنسانُ وهوَ بَغيضٌ فاسِدٌ،
ويشربُ الشَّرَّ كأنَّهُ ماءٌ.
17 فاسمَعْ لي لأوضِحَ لكَ،
وبِما رَأيتُ أُحَدِّثُكَ،
18 وبِما رواهُ لنا الحُكَماءُ
عَنْ آبائِهِم ولم يَكتُموهُ.
19 ولهُم أُعطيَت هذِهِ الأرضُ
ولم يَعبُرْ بَينَهُم غريـبٌ:
20 الشِّرِّيرُ يتَوَجَّعُ كُلَّ أيّامِهِ،
ولِلطَّاغيةِ سِنينٌ مَعدودَةٌ.
21 صوتُ الرُّعبِ لا يُفارِقُ أُذُنَيهِ،
وفي السَّلامِ يُفاجِئُهُ المُعتَدي.
22 لا يأمَنُ الهرَبَ مِنَ الظَّلامِ،
وعَينُهُ تـتَرَقَّبُ السَّيفَ.
23 تنتَظِرُهُ النُّسورُ لِتَأكُلَ جُثَّثَهُ
ويعرِفُ أنَّ مَصيرَهُ مُظلِمٌ.
24 يُباغِتُهُ الضَّرَرُ ويُلاحِقُهُ الضِّيقُ
كمَلِكٍ مُتَأهِّبٍ لِلقِتالِ،
25 لأنَّهُ على اللهِ مَدَّ يَدَهُ
وتجَبَّرَ على الإلهِ القديرِ.
26 بادَرَهُ بِــعُنُقٍ مُتَصَلِّبةٍ
خَلْفَ تُرْسِهِ الكثيفِ المُحَدَّبِ.
27 معَ أنَّ الشَّحْمَ كَسا وجهَهُ،
ورَبِـيَ الدَّسَمُ على وِرْكَيهِ،
28 يُقيمُ في مُدُنِ خرابٍ
وأنقاضِ بُيوتٍ مهجورةٍ.
29 لا يَغْنى ولا تدومُ ثَروَتُهُ،
جُذورُهُ لا تمتَدُّ في الأرضِ،
30 ولا تزولُ عَنهُ الظُّلمَةُ.
اللَّهيـبُ يَلفَحُ أغصانَهُ،
والرِّيحُ تذهبُ بِأزهارِهِ.
31 لا يَأمَنُ الشَّرَّ فيَضِلُّ،
ويكونُ الشَّرُّ جَزاءَهُ.
32 يُسرِعُ إلى الزَّوالِ قَبلَ يومِهِ،
وفُروعُهُ لا تعودُ إلى الاخضِرارِ.
33 يُساقِطُ كالكرمةِ حِصرِمَهُ
ويَنفُضُ كالزَّيتونِ زَهرَهُ.
34 فالكافِرونَ جماعةٌ عقيمَةٌ،
والمُرتَشونَ خيامُهُم لِلنَّارِ.
35 يَحبَلونَ بِالفسادِ فيَلِدونَ الإثْمَ،
وأحشاؤُهُم تـتَمَخَّضُ بِالمَكْرِ».
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? 4 Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God. 5 For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. 6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee. 7 Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? 8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? 9 What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us? 10 With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father. 11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? 12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, 13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? 14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. 16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
17 I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare; 18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it: 19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them. 20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor. 21 A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him. 22 He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword. 23 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying , Where is it ? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. 24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle. 25 For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty. 26 He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers: 27 Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks. 28 And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps. 29 He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth. 30 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. 31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence. 32 It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green. 33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive. 34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. 35 They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.