FIRST CONVERSATION

1. The word of Eliphaz: God is just; Job must repent (Job 4-5)

1 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2 If we try to speak a word to you, will it not be hard for you? However, who can forbid a word! 3 Behold, thou hast guided many, and hast sustained the hands that were dropped, 4 thy words have raised up those who fall, and thou hast strengthened the knees that are bent. 5 But now it has come to you, and you are faint; touched you, and you lost heart. 6 Shall not thy fear of God be thy hope, and the purity of thy ways thy hope? 7 Remember, then, if any innocent man perished, and where were the righteous rooted out? 8 As I have seen, those who have plowed wickedness, and sowed evil, reap it; 9 at the breath of God they perish, and at the spirit of his wrath they perish. 10 The roar of the lion, and the voice of the roarer, is silenced, and the teeth of the skims are broken; 11 The mighty lion dies without prey, and the children of the lioness are scattered. 12 And behold, a word came to me secretly, and my ear received something of it. 13 In the midst of meditating on the visions of the night, when sleep comes upon men, 14 terror and trembling seized me, and shook all my bones. 15 And the spirit passed over me; The hair on me stood on end. 16 And he stood, but I did not recognize his form, but his form was before my eyes; a gentle breeze, and I hear a voice: Are 17 men more righteous than God? and is the man purer than his Creator? 18 Behold, he trusteth not even his servants, and sees faults in his angels: 19 much more in those who dwell in tabernacles of clay, whose foundation is dust, which are cut off more quickly than moths. 20 Between morning and evening they break up; you will not see them disappear altogether. 21 Do not their virtues also perish with them? They die before they have attained wisdom.

1 Cry out if there is one who answers you. And to which of the saints will you turn? 2 Thus anger killeth a fool, and irritability destroyeth a fool. 3 And I saw the fool taking root, and straightway I cursed his house. 4 His children are far from happy, they will be beaten at the gates, and there will be no protector. 5 His harvest shall be eaten by the hungry, and for the thorns he shall take it, and those who are thirsty shall devour his goods. 6 Thus it is not out of the dust that grief cometh out, nor out of the earth does trouble grow; 7 But man is born to affliction, like sparks to rush upward. 8 But I would turn to God, I would commit my work to God, 9 Who does great and unsearchable works, wonderful without number, 10 He gives rain on the face of the earth, and sends water on the face of the fields; 11 He sets up the lowly on high, and those who mourn are lifted up to salvation. 12 He frustrates the designs of the wicked, and their hands do not complete the work. 13 He catches the wise men by their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning is in vain: 14 by day they meet darkness, and at noon they grope as by night. 15 He saves the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. 16 And there is hope for the wretched, and iniquity shuts his mouth. 17 Blessed is the man whom God admonishes, and therefore do not reject the chastisement of the Almighty, 18 for he inflicts wounds, and binds them up himself. He strikes, and His own hands heal. 19 In six troubles he will save you, and in the seventh evil will not touch you. 20 In time of famine he shall deliver thee from death, and in war from the hand of the sword. 21 Thou shalt hide thyself from the scourge of the tongue, and thou shalt not fear desolation when it comes. 22 Thou shalt laugh at desolation and famine, and shalt not fear the beasts of the earth, 23 for thou hast a covenant with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field are at peace with thee. 24 And you will know that your tent is safe, and you will watch over your house, and you will not sin. 25 And you will see that your seed is numerous, and your branches are like grass on the earth. 26 Thou shalt enter into the tomb in maturity, as sheaves of wheat are laid in their season. 27 This is what we have learned; And so it is: listen to this and take note for yourself.

The author puts many wise thoughts into the mouths of Job's friends. He does this in order to show that they are partially right. The mistake of the friends lies not in their views, but in the fact that they have rested on theories, turned away from the real world and do not wait for a new Revelation. Job, speaking with the utmost sincerity and directness, does not close his eyes to the evil that reigns around him. However, at the same time, finding himself in the abyss of despair, he does not cease to believe in the goodness of God and calls out to the Creator, asking Him to reveal to him the mystery of the tragic fate of man. It is this faith that justifies Job more than his formally pious friends.

2. Job's answer: He justifies himself and speaks of man's miserable lot on earth (Job 6-7)

1 And Job answered, and said, 2 Oh, that my cries were rightly weighed, and my affliction were put in the balances with them! 3 It would surely pull over the sand of the seas! That is why my words are fierce. 4 For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. 5 Does a wild donkey roar on the grass? Does the bull moo at his mash? 6 Is tasteless eating without salt, and is there a taste in egg white? 7 To what my soul would not touch, that is my abominable food. 8 Oh, that my desire might be fulfilled, and my hope fulfilled by God! 9 Oh, that God would be pleased to crush me, and stretch out His hand, and smite me! 10 This would have been a joy to me, and I would have been strengthened in my merciless sickness, for I have not rejected the sayings of the Holy One. 11 What strength have I to hope? and what is the end that I may prolong my life? 12 Is the hardness of stones my hardness? and is my flesh brass? 13 Is there help in me for me, and is there any support for me? 14 For the afflicted there must be pity from his friend, unless he has forsaken the fear of the Almighty. 15 But my brethren are unfaithful as a stream, as swiftly flowing streams, 16 which are black with ice, and in which snow is hidden. 17 When it is warm, they are diminished, but when it is hot, they are removed from their places. 18 They deviate from the direction of their ways, and enter into the wilderness, and are lost; 19 The paths of Themae look upon them, the ways of Sheba trust in them, 20 but remain ashamed in their hope. They come there and blush with shame. 21 So now you also are nothing: you have seen the dreadful things, and are afraid. 22 Did I say, Give it to me, or out of your wealth pay for me; 23 And deliver me out of the hand of the enemy, and ransom me out of the hand of tormentors? 24 Teach me, and I will be silent; Point out where I have sinned. 25 How powerful are the words of righteousness! But what do your reproofs prove? 26 Do you make up speeches for reproof? You let your words go to the wind. 27 You attack the fatherless, and you dig a pit for your friend. 28 But I beseech you, look at me; Shall I speak a lie before you? E-29 Review, is there a lie? Reconsider, it's my truth. 30 Is there unrighteousness on my tongue? Can it be that my throat cannot distinguish bitterness?

1 Is not the time of the earth ordained unto man, and is not his days the same as the days of the hireling? 2 As a servant thirsts for shade, and as a hireling waits for the end of his work, 3 so I have received vain months for my inheritance, and nights of sorrow have been set aside for me. 4 When I go to bed, I say, "When will I get up?" and the evening goes on, and I toss and turn until dawn. 5 My body is clothed with worms and scabs of dust; My skin bursts and festers. 6 My days run faster than a shuttle, and end without hope. 7 Remember that my life is a breath, that my eye shall not return to see good. 8 The eye of him that has seen me shall not see me; Thy eyes are upon me, and I am not. 9 The cloud thins and departs; so he who has descended into hell will not go out, 10 he will not return to his house any more, and his place will no longer know him. 11 But I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the distress of my spirit; I will complain in the sorrow of my soul. 12 Am I the sea, or a monster of the sea, that thou hast set a guard over me? 13 When I think, 'My bed shall comfort me, my bed shall take away my sorrow,14 thou dost terrify me with dreams, and frighten me with visions; 15 And my soul desires rather the cessation of breathing, better death, than the preservation of my bones. 16 Life is disgusting to me. I will not live forever. Depart from me, for my days are vanity. 17 What is man, that you value him so much, and pay attention to him, 18 that you visit him every morning, that you test him every moment? 19 How long wilt thou not forsake, till thou depart from me, till wilt thou let me swallow my saliva? 20 If I have sinned, what shall I do to Thee, O keeper of men? Why hast Thou made me an adversary to Thyself, so that I have become a burden to myself? 21 And why not forgive me my sin, and take away my iniquity? for behold, I will lie down in the dust; Tomorrow you will look for me, and I am gone.

3. Bildad's Word: If Job is innocent, God will reward him according to his deeds in the future (Job 8)

1 And Bildad the Sabhean answered and said, 2 How long wilt thou speak thus? - The words of your mouth are a stormy wind! 3 Does God pervert judgment, and the Almighty pervert righteousness? 4 If thy sons have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their iniquity. 5 But if you seek God, and pray to the Almighty, 6 and if you are pure and upright, he will rise over you this very day, and give peace to the dwelling place of your righteousness. 7 And if in the beginning you had little, you will have very much afterwards. 8 For ask of the former generations, and take heed to the observations of their fathers; 9 But we are yesterday, and know nothing, for our days are a shadow on the earth. 10 Behold, they will teach you, they will tell you, and they will speak out of their hearts, 11 Does the reed rise without moisture? Do reeds grow without water? 12 Yet it is fresh and not cut off, but before all grass it withers. 13 Such are the ways of all those who forget God, and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish; 14 His hope is cut off, and his confidence is the house of a spider. 15 He shall lean against his house, and shall not stand; he will grasp it and will not hold on. 16 It is green before the sun, its branches stretch out beyond the garden; 17 His roots are woven into a heap of stones, and are cut between the stones. 18 But when they pluck him out of his place, he will deny him: 'I have not seen you!' 19 Behold the joy of his way! and others grow out of the earth. 20 You see, God does not reject the blameless, nor uphold the hands of evildoers. 21 He will still fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with a shout of joy. 22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more.