[1] Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied, [2] “Job, suppose someone tries to talk to you. Will that make you uneasy? I can’t keep from speaking up. [3] Look, you taught many people. You made weak hands strong. [4] Your words helped those who had fallen down. You made shaky knees strong. [5] Now trouble comes to you. And you are unhappy about it. It strikes you down. And you are afraid. [6] Shouldn’t you worship God and trust in him? Shouldn’t your honest life give you hope? [7] “Here’s something to think about. Have people who aren’t guilty ever been wiped out? Have honest people ever been completely destroyed? [8] Here’s what I’ve observed. People gather a crop from what they plant. If they plant evil and trouble, that’s what they will harvest. [9] The breath of God destroys them. The blast of his anger wipes them out. [10] Powerful lions might roar and growl. But their teeth are broken. [11] Lions die because they don’t have any food. Then their cubs are scattered. [12] “A message came to me in secret. It was as quiet as a whisper. [13] I had a scary dream one night. I was sound asleep. [14] Fear and trembling seized me. That made every bone in my body shake. [15] A spirit glided past my face. The hair on my body stood on end. [16] Then the spirit stopped. But I couldn’t tell what it was. Something stood there in front of me. I heard a soft voice. [17] It said, ‘Can a human being be more right than God? Can even a strong man be more pure than the God who made him? [18] God doesn’t trust those who serve him. He even brings charges against his angels. [19] So he’ll certainly find fault with human beings. After all, they are made out of dust. They can be crushed more easily than a moth. [20] Between sunrise and sunset they are broken to pieces. Nobody even notices. They disappear forever. [21] Like a tent that falls down, they get weak. They die because they didn’t follow God’s wisdom.’ ”
