Job 15
 

Job's friend, Eliphaz, talks to him again.
 

Job and his three friends. Graphic from Our Precious Lambs

Eliphaz says that Job is talking like he knows everything, but he is still a sinner and has done something wrong.

Job's friend, Eliphaz, was a Temanite from the area of Teman.  He talked to Job for the second time. Eliphaz says that Job is not talking good. He is saying things that are not smart. He says Job's words are not worth anything.
[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?


Eliphaz says that Job is not respecting God. He is not praying the way he should pray.
[4] Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.


He says that Job's words show his sins. He is saying things like people who are not honest.  Eliphaz says that Job himself is showing his sins.
[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.


Eliphaz says that Job thinks he knows a lot. He asks Job if he was the first man ever born. He asks him if he was made before the hills. He asks him if he knows God's secrets.  He asks him if he keeps his wisdom for himself.
[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?


He asks Job if Job knows things that they don't know.
[9] What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?


He says that older and smarter men agree with him and the other friends.
[10] With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.


He says that God's comfort should be enough for Job.
[11] Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?


He asks why Job's emotions make him say things against God.
[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?



Eliphaz says that angels are not perfectly clean in God's eyes. If angels can't be perfect, how can man be perfect?
[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?



Eliphaz wants Job to listen to him. He will explain again what happens to sinful people.


Eliphaz will talk about what he has seen. He will talk about things that wise men have learned from their fathers.
[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.


This is what happens to a man who is wicked and bad. He will have pain for his whole life. The one hurting him knows how long he will hurt him, but won't tell him.
[20] The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.


He will be afraid, and he will hear bad things. When he is doing well, someone will come and destroy him.
[21] A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.


He will not have hope. He will wait for someone to kill him.
[22] He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.
 

He will wander around looking for food. He knows his dark days are here.
[23] He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.


He will be afraid of trouble and pain. He will feel like a king who is getting ready to fight in a war. Trouble and pain will defeat him.
[24] Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.


He will fight against God. He will use the thick part of his shield and attack God.
[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:


He will have a fat face and fat body.
[27] Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.


He will live in cities that are empty.  The empty houses will be ready to fall down.
[28] And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.


He will not be rich any more. His life will not be perfect and happy any more.
[29] He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.


He will be always in darkness. He will dry up and go away.
[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.


He will trust in things that are worthless. Nothing will work out for him.
[31] Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.


This will happen early in his life, and his life will not be full and happy. He will lose things before they are old.
[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.


People who are hypocrites (say one thing, but behave differently) will have nothing.  Fire will burn them.
[34] For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.


They try to plan bad and dishonest things to happen. Their plans are worthless.
[35] They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
 

Job 16

Job replies to Eliphaz.


Job is critical of his friends. He says they are not helping him.

Job tells his friends that they are not helping him. He calls them miserable comforters.
[1] Then Job answered and said,
[2] I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.


He wants to know when they will be finished saying these worthless things. He asks why they think they should say these things to him.
[3] Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?


Job says that if his friends were having trouble, he could say bad things to them and make them feel guilty. But he would try to help them. He would say things to help them feel stronger.
[4] I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.
[5] But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.


Job says that he does not feel better no matter if he speaks or stays quiet.
[6] Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased?

He says that God is making him very tired. The people around him in the past are now gone.
[7] But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.


He has lost weight and has more wrinkles.  He says that God has destroyed him.
[8] And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face.
[9] He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.


He says that other people stare at him. They have talked to him badly and have been against him.
[10] They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me.

Job says that God has put ungodly and wicked people in control over him.
[11] God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.

Job says that before these bad things happened to him, he was peaceful. Then God grabbed his neck and shook his life into pieces.
[12] I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.

He says that God's hunters with bows and arrows make a circle around him. They tear open his abdomen and pour his insides on the ground.
[13] His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.


He says that God breaks him again and again. He chases him down like a giant.
[14] He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.


Job says he has made clothes from rough sackcloth. He has put his head in the dirt.
[15] I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.

His face and eyelids show that he has cried a lot.
[16] My face is foul with weeping, and my eyelids is the shadow of death;

He didn't do anything bad to cause his troubles. His prayers were pure.
[17] Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.


Job hopes that someone will hear his cry.


If he dies, Job does not want the earth to punish him. He said God in heaven is his witness.
[18] O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.
[19] Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.

Job says that his friends hate him, and his eye cries tears to God.
[20] My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.

Job wishes that he could plead for himself to God (talk to him and beg him to stop his troubles).
[21] O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!


In  a few years, he will die and not come back.
[22] When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.
 

Job 17


Job says that he will die soon.
[1] My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.


His friends continue to criticize him.
[2] Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?


He wants someone to help him.
[3] Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me?


Job said that God makes his friends not understand.
[4] For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.


If a person speaks false words to his friends, then his children will go blind.
[5] He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.


In the past, other people liked Job. Now, he says they know him for a bad reason.
[6] He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.


He is sad and cries.
[7] Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.


Men who are good are surprised at him.  Innocent men will be angry at hypocrites (people who talk good, but behave badly).
[8] Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.


Good people will continue to be good. Good people will continue to become stronger and stronger.
[9] The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.


Job says that none of his three friends are smart.
[10] But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.

Job feels that his life is past.  His plans are broken. His thoughts make him stay awake at night.
[11] My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.
[12] They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.

He will die, and his grave will be his house. His body will decay, and there will be worms in his grave.
[13] If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
[14] I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou are my mother, and my sister.

He is looking for hope. No matter who looks for hope, they will all die, too.
[15] And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?
[16] They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.
 

Job 18


Job's friend, Bildad, speaks again.

Bildad criticizes Job's words.


Bildad speaks again. He asks Job how long he will continue to talk. After Job finishes, the others can speak.
[1] Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
[2] How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak.?


He asks why Job thinks he and the other two friends are stupid like animals.
[3] Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight?
 

Job is tearing himself apart by being angry. Bildad asks if Job thinks everyone will leave the earth because he is angry. He asks if the rocks will move because he is angry.
[4] He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place?

 

Bildad describes the ways that wicked people suffer.

Wicked people will live in darkness. They will not have light.
[5] Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.
[6] The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.


His plans will bring trouble for him.  He will walk into a trap on the ground. The trap will catch him by the heel. People will steal from him.
[7] The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down.
[8] For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare.
[9] The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him.
[10] The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
 

He will be afraid of everything. He will try to run away.
[11] Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.


He will be weak from hunger. Trouble stays by his side. Death's firstborn will take his strength.
[12] His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side.
[13] It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.


He will not feel confident. He will feel terrified and scared.
[14] His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.


Trouble will come to his house. It will be destroyed with hot rocks.
[15] It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.


His home will be like trees. The branches are cut off, and the roots in the ground dry up.
[16] His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.


No one on earth will remember him. No one will talk about him.
[17] His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.

The wicked man will be sent away into darkness.  He will be chased out of the world.
[18] He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.

He will not have any sons or nephews. No one will live in his home after he dies.
[19] He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.

People who live after him will be surprised at him. They will be surprised at what happened to him. People who lived at the same time as him will be surprised, too.
[20] They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.

This is what happens to men who are bad and wicked. This is what happens to men who do not know God.
[21] Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.