17 "Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen, 18 what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors 19 (to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them): 20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him. 21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him. 22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness; he is marked for the sword. 23 He wanders about for food like a vulture; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. 24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror; troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack, 25 because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, 26 defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield. 27 "Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh, 28 he will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to rubble. 29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land. 30 He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God's mouth will carry him away. 31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return. 32 Before his time he will wither, and his branches will not flourish. 33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms. 34 For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes. 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb fashions deceit."
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
17 "I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare 18 (what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers, 19 to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them). 20 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. 21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him. 22 He does not believe that he will return out of darkness, and he is marked for the sword. 23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand; 24 distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him, like a king ready for battle. 25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God and defies the Almighty, 26 running stubbornly against him with a thickly bossed shield; 27 because he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat upon his waist 28 and has lived in desolate cities, in houses that none should inhabit, which were ready to become heaps of ruins; 29 he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the earth;
17 "I've a thing or two to tell you, so listen up! I'm letting you in on my views; 18 It's what wise men and women have always taught, holding nothing back from what they were taught 19 By their parents, back in the days when they had this land all to themselves: 20 Those who live by their own rules, not God's, can expect nothing but trouble, and the longer they live, the worse it gets. 21 Every little sound terrifies them. Just when they think they have it made, disaster strikes. 22 They despair of things ever getting better - they're on the list of people for whom things always turn out for the worst. 23 They wander here and there, never knowing where the next meal is coming from - every day is doomsday! 24 They live in constant terror, always with their backs up against the wall 25 Because they insist on shaking their fists at God, defying God Almighty to his face, 26 Always and ever at odds with God, always on the defensive. 27 "Even if they're the picture of health, trim and fit and youthful, 28 They'll end up living in a ghost town sleeping in a hovel not fit for a dog, a ramshackle shack. 29 They'll never get ahead, never amount to a hill of beans. 30 And then death - don't think they'll escape that! They'll end up shriveled weeds, brought down by a puff of God's breath. 31 There's a lesson here: Whoever invests in lies, gets lies for interest, 32 Paid in full before the due date. Some investment! 33 They'll be like fruit frost-killed before it ripens, like buds sheared off before they bloom. 34 The godless are fruitless - a barren crew; a life built on bribes goes up in smoke. 35 They have sex with sin and give birth to evil. Their lives are wombs for breeding deceit."
17 "I will tell you, hear me; What I have seen I will declare, 18 What wise men have told, Not hiding anything received from their fathers, 19 To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them: 20 The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor. 21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him. 22 He does not believe that he will return from darkness, For a sword is waiting for him. 23 He wanders about for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand. 24 Trouble and anguish make him afraid; They overpower him, like a king ready for battle. 25 For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty, 26 Running stubbornly against Him With his strong, embossed shield. 27 "Though he has covered his face with his fatness, And made his waist heavy with fat, 28 He dwells in desolate cities, In houses which no one inhabits, Which are destined to become ruins. 29 He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth. 30 He will not depart from darkness; The flame will dry out his branches, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away. 31 Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, For futility will be his reward. 32 It will be accomplished before his time, And his branch will not be green. 33 He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, And cast off his blossom like an olive tree. 34 For the company of hypocrites will be barren, And fire will consume the tents of bribery. 35 They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit."
17 "If you will listen, I will show you. I will answer you from my own experience. 18 And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men who have heard the same thing from their fathers- 19 from those to whom the land was given long before any foreigners arrived. 20 "The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives. Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless. 21 The sound of terror rings in their ears, and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer. 22 They dare not go out into the darkness for fear they will be murdered. 23 They wander around, saying, 'Where can I find bread?' They know their day of destruction is near. 24 That dark day terrifies them. They live in distress and anguish, like a king preparing for battle. 25 For they shake their fists at God, defying the Almighty. 26 Holding their strong shields, they defiantly charge against him. 27 "These wicked people are heavy and prosperous; their waists bulge with fat. 28 But their cities will be ruined. They will live in abandoned houses that are ready to tumble down. 29 Their riches will not last, and their wealth will not endure. Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon. 30 "They will not escape the darkness. The burning sun will wither their shoots, and the breath of God will destroy them. 31 Let them no longer fool themselves by trusting in empty riches, for emptiness will be their only reward. 32 They will be cut down in the prime of life; their branches will never again be green. 33 They will be like a vine whose grapes are harvested too early, like an olive tree that loses its blossoms before the fruit can form. 34 For the godless are barren. Their homes, enriched through bribery, will burn. 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil. Their womb produces deceit."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 15:17-35
Commentary on Job 15:17-35
(Read Job 15:17-35)
Eliphaz maintains that the wicked are certainly miserable: whence he would infer, that the miserable are certainly wicked, and therefore Job was so. But because many of God's people have prospered in this world, it does not therefore follow that those who are crossed and made poor, as Job, are not God's people. Eliphaz shows also that wicked people, particularly oppressors, are subject to continual terror, live very uncomfortably, and perish very miserably. Will the prosperity of presumptuous sinners end miserably as here described? Then let the mischiefs which befal others, be our warnings. Though no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. No calamity, no trouble, however heavy, however severe, can rob a follower of the Lord of his favour. What shall separate him from the love of Christ?