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¹ Then aunswered Eliphaz the Themanite, and saide:² Shall a wyse mans aunswere be as the winde, and fill a mans belly as it were with the winde of the east?³ Shall he reproue with a worde that is nothing worth, & speake the thinges which can do no good?⁴ Surely thou hast cast of feare, and restrainest prayer before God.⁵ For thy mouth setteth forth thyne owne iniquitie, seeing thou hast chosen the tongue of the craftie.⁶ Thyne owne mouth condempneth thee, and not I: yea, thyne owne lippes shape an aunswere against thee.⁷ Art thou the first man that euer was borne? or wast thou made before the hils?⁸ Hast thou heard the secret counsell of God? and doest thou restraine wysdome to thee?⁹ What knowest thou, that we knowe not? And what vnderstandest thou, but we can the same?¹⁰ With vs are both olde and aged men, yea such as haue liued longer then thy father.¹¹ Thinkest thou it a small thing of the consolations of God? with thee is a lying worde.¹² Why doth thyne heart so bewitche thee? And wherefore winckest thou with thyne eyes,¹³ That thy minde is so pufte vp against God, and lettest such wordes go out of thy mouth?¹⁴ What is man, that he should be cleane? and he which is borne of a woman, whereby he might be righteous?¹⁵ Beholde he doth not trust his sainctes, yea, the very heauens are not cleane in his sight:¹⁶ How much more then an abhominable and vyle man, which drincketh wickednesse like water.

¹⁷ I will tel thee, heare me, and I will shewe thee that I haue seene:¹⁸ Which wyse men haue tolde, and haue not hid that which they receaued from theyr fathers:¹⁹ Unto whom alone the earth was geue, and no straunger went among them.²⁰ The vngodly soroweth all the dayes of his lyfe as it were a woman with childe, and the number of a tirauntes yeres is vnknowen.²¹ A feareful sounde is [euer] in his eares, and when he is in peace, the destroyer shall come vpon him.²² He beleueth neuer to be deliuered out of darknesse: for the sworde is alwayes before his eyes.²³ He wandreth abrode for bread where it is, knowing that the day of darkenesse is redie at his hande.²⁴ Trouble and anguishe wil make him afrayde, and compasse him about, as is a king in the middest of an armie.²⁵ For he hath stretched out his hande against God, and armed him selfe against the almightie.²⁶ He runneth proudly vpon him, & with a stiffe necke fighteth he against him.²⁷ Where as he couereth his face with fatnesse, and maketh his body well lyking.²⁸ Therefore shall his dwelling be in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, but are become heapes of stones.²⁹ He shall not be riche, neither shall his substaunce continue, neither shal the prosperitie thereof be prolonged vpon earth.³⁰ He shall neuer depart out of darkenesse, the flame shal drye vp his branches, with the blast of ye mouth [of God] shall he be taken away.³¹ He beleeueth not that he erreth in vanitie, and yet vanitie shalbe his recompence.³² He shal perishe afore his time be worne out, and his braunche shall not be greene.³³ He shalbe plucked of as an vntimely grape from the vine, and shall let his floure fall as the oliue doth.³⁴ For the congregation of hypocrites shalbe desolate, and the fire shall consume the houses of such as are greedie to receaue giftes.³⁵ He conceaueth trauaile, and beareth vanitie, and their body bringeth foorth disceyte.