וַיַּעַן אֱלִיפַז הַתֵּמָנִי וַיֹּאמַר׃

Elifaz the Temanite answered and said:

הַלְאֵל יִסְכָּן גָּבֶר כִּי יִסְכֹּן עָלֵימוֹ מַשְׂכִּיל

Can a man be of use to God? Rather, let the sensible man be of use to himself. He who is wise is profitable only to himself. Elifaz is saying to Job: God derives no benefit from speaking with you.

הַחֵפֶץ לְשַׁדַּי כִּי תִצְדָּק וְאִם־בֶּצַע כִּי תַתֵּם דְּרָכֶיךָ

Is it out of the Almighty’s desire that you are righteous and is there profit to Him if you make your ways whole, straighten your ways?

המִיִּרְאָתְךָ יֹכִיחֶךָ יָבוֹא עִמְּךָ בַּמִּשְׁפָּט

Does He rebuke you from His fear of you, entering into judgment with you? Is it from fear of you that He contends with you? God has no need to respond to your arguments.

הֲלֹא רָעָתְךָ רַבָּה וְאֵין־קֵץ לַעֲוֹנֹתֶיךָ

After many insinuations, Elifaz finally levels a direct, blunt indictment: Isn’t your wickedness great, and there is no end to your iniquities?

כִּי־תַחְבֹּל אַחֶיךָ חִנָּם וּבִגְדֵי עֲרוּמִּים תַּפְשִׁיט

For you take collateral from your brother for naught, undeservedly, by force, and you strip the last garments of the naked and leave them bare.

לֹא־מַיִם עָיֵף תַּשְׁקֶה וּמֵרָעֵב תִּמְנַע־לָחֶם

No water to the thirsty do you give to drink, and from the hungry you withhold bread.

וְאִישׁ זְרוֹעַ לוֹ הָאָרֶץ וּנְשׂוּא פָנִים יֵשֶׁב בָּהּ

A violent and mighty man, the earth is his; you gave him land. And a man of favor will live in it. An important man of rank, or one whose debts you forgave in judgment, dwells in the land. This indicates that Job served as a judge, and the fate of those who came before him for judgment was sealed by his word.

אַלְמָנוֹת שִׁלַּחְתָּ רֵיקָם וזְרֹעוֹת יְתֹמִים יְדֻכָּא

Widows, who do not have the power to sue their oppressors, you dispatched empty-handed, leaving them destitute, and the arms, the strength, of the orphans, who also have no one to defend them, you oppressed.

עַל־כֵּן סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ פַחִים וִיבַהֶלְךָ פַּחַד פִּתְאֹם

Therefore, there are snares all around you, and sudden fear terrifies you,

אוֹ חֹשֶׁךְ לֹא־תִרְאֶה וְשִׁפְעַת מַיִם תְּכַסֶּךָּ

or darkness, you cannot see, and a torrent of water covers you. In your darkness, you cannot perceive the truth, as you are covered by an abundance of waters, your pain.

הֲלֹא־אֱלוֹהַּ גֹבַהּ שָׁמָיִם וּרְאֵה רֹאשׁ כּוֹכָבִים כִּי־רָמוּ

Therefore, you err in thinking: Isn’t God located at the apex of heaven? See the height of the stars, how lofty they are. The distance between God and myself is so great that He does not pay any attention to me at all.

וְאָמַרְתָּ מַה־יָּדַע אֵל הַבְעַד עֲרָפֶל יִשְׁפּוֹט

You say: What does God know? Can He judge through the fog? Is God aware of what is happening beyond the fog? Under the cover of haze and distance, I can do as I please.

עָבִים סֵתֶר לוֹ וְלֹא יִרְאֶה וחוּג שָׁמַיִם יִתְהַלָּךְ

You suppose that clouds obscure for Him and therefore He does not see; in the circuit of the heavens He makes His way. Therefore, when He is on the side that is far from me, He cannot see me.

הַאֹרַח עוֹלָם תִּשְׁמוֹר אֲשֶׁר דָּרְכוּ מְתֵי אָוֶן

Will you keep and remember the eternal path upon which men of evil have trodden?

אֲשֶׁר־קֻמְּטוּ וְלֹא־עֵת נָהָר יוּצַק יְסוֹדָם

These are wicked men who were eliminated before their time, in their youth, a river poured for their foundation. Alternatively, these are wicked men whose foundation, even in their lifetime, was unstable and poured out like a stream, or melted away.

הָאֹמְרִים לָאֵל סוּר מִמֶּנּוּ וּמַה־יִּפְעַל שַׁדַּי לָמוֹ

These are wicked men who say to God: Turn away from us and do not interfere with our lives. How will the Almighty act toward them? They mistakenly think that God does not affect their lives at all.

וְהוּא מִלֵּא בָתֵּיהֶם טוֹב ועֲצַת רְשָׁעִים רָחֲקָה מֶּנִּי

And yet He filled their houses with good. Elifaz adds: May the counsel of the wicked be distant from me. I want no part of it.

יִרְאוּ צַדִּיקִים וְיִשְׂמָחוּ וְנָקִי יִלְעַג־לָמוֹ

By contrast, may the righteous see it, the downfall of the wicked, and rejoice, and the pure mock them, those who imagine that they are not dependent upon God.

אִם־לֹא נִכְחַד קִימָנוּ וְיִתְרָם אָכְלָה אֵשׁ

The righteous say as follows: Surely, they who would rise against us [kimanu] have been annihilated. Alternatively, surely our existence [kiyumenu], that is, our dwelling place, has not been destroyed. Another interpretation: If we, the innocent, have not been eliminated, it is because God has sustained us [kiyemanu]. And by contrast, those who are left of them, the wicked, fire has consumed.

הַסְכֶּן נָא עִמּוֹ וּשְׁלָם בָּהֶם תְּבוֹאָתְךָ טוֹבָה

Please, attune yourself to Him, accustom yourself to following God’s ways, and then you will be complete, whole; thereby, through such behavior, goodness will come upon you.

קַח־נָא מִפִּיו תּוֹרָה וְשִׂים אֲמָרָיו בִּלְבָבֶךָ

Please receive Torah from His mouth, and place His sayings in your heart.

אִם־תָּשׁוּב עַד־שַׁדַּי תִּבָּנֶה תַּרְחִיק עַוְלָה מֵאָהֳלֶךָ

If you return to the Almighty, then you will be built up; you will distance injustice from your tents

וְשִׁית עַל־עָפָר בָּצֶר וּבְצוּר נְחָלִים אוֹפִיר

and then you will become so wealthy that you will set your treasure, precious commodities, perhaps a collection of highly valuable minerals, on the dust, and the valuable gold of Ofiramong the stones of ravines, in an unprotected spot.

וְהָיָה שַׁדַּי בְּצָרֶיךָ וְכֶסֶף תּוֹעָפוֹת לָךְ

The Almighty will be with, will protect, your treasures. Alternatively, the Almighty will fight your enemies. And a vast [to’afot] amount of silver will be yours. Alternatively, silver will fly [ya’uf] to you.

כִּי־אָז עַל־שַׁדַּי תִּתְעַנָּג וְתִשָּׂא אֶל־אֱלוֹהַּ פָּנֶיךָ

For then you will delight in the Almighty, and you will lift your face to God.

תַּעְתִּיר אֵלָיו וְיִשְׁמָעֶךָּ וּנְדָרֶיךָ תְשַׁלֵּם

You will pray to Him, and He will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows when He fulfills your wishes.

וְתִגְזַר־אֹמֶר וְיָקָם לָךְ וְעַל־דְּרָכֶיךָ נָגַהּ אוֹר

You will decide something, and God will ensure that He will fulfill it for you, and light will shine upon your ways. You will be successful in all your endeavors.

כִּי הִשְׁפִּילוּ וַתֹּאמֶר גֵּוָה וְשַׁח עֵינַיִם יוֹשִׁעַ

With the downtrodden, when you see people who are downtrodden, you will promise them and say: There will be exaltation, as you know that He saves the humble person, the miserable.

יְמַלֵּט אִי־נָקִי וְנִמְלַט בְּבֹר כַּפֶּיךָ

It will then be in your merit that He will rescue the impure, and he, the sinner, will escape by, due to, the cleanness of your hands. Elifaz’s speech is rather scathing, but he ends by reminding Job that he can still amend his ways. His main point is that if someone acts in a sinful manner, thinking that he can hide from God, he will be severely punished. However, if he repents and turns to God, he will receive goodness and blessing. He therefore tells Job: Everything depends upon your actions, and you should not blame God for your fate.