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Job chapter 15 in Hebrew and English

35 verses, about 3 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

וַיַּעַן אֱלִיפַז הַתֵּימָנִי וַיֹּאמַֽר׃

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said:

הֶחָכָם יַעֲנֶה דַעַת־רוּחַ וִימַלֵּא קָדִים בִּטְנֽוֹ׃

Should a wise man make answer with windy knowledge, And fill his belly with the east wind?

הוֹכֵחַ בְּדָבָר לֹא יִסְכּוֹן וּמִלִּים לֹא־יוֹעִיל בָּֽם׃

Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

אַף־אַתָּה תָּפֵר יִרְאָה וְתִגְרַע שִׂיחָה לִפְנֵי־אֵֽל׃

Yea, thou doest away with fear, And impairest devotion before God.

כִּי יְאַלֵּף עֲוֺנְךָ פִיךָ וְתִבְחַר לְשׁוֹן עֲרוּמִֽים׃

For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

יַרְשִׁיעֲךָ פִיךָ וְלֹא־אָנִי וּשְׂפָתֶיךָ יַעֲנוּ־בָֽךְ׃

Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

הֲרִאישׁוֹן אָדָם תִּוָּלֵד וְלִפְנֵי גְבָעוֹת חוֹלָֽלְתָּ׃

Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?

הַבְסוֹד אֱלוֹהַ תִּשְׁמָע וְתִגְרַע אֵלֶיךָ חָכְמָֽה׃

Dost thou hearken in the council of God? And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

מַה־יָּדַעְתָּ וְלֹא נֵדָע תָּבִין וְלֹא־עִמָּנוּ הֽוּא׃

What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?

גַּם־שָׂב גַּם־יָשִׁישׁ בָּנוּ כַּבִּיר מֵאָבִיךָ יָמִֽים׃

With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much older than thy father.

הַמְעַט מִמְּךָ תַּנְחֻמוֹת אֵל וְדָבָר לָאַט עִמָּֽךְ׃

Are the consolations of God too small for thee, And the word that dealeth gently with thee?

מַה־יִּקָּחֲךָ לִבֶּךָ וּמַה־יִּרְזְמוּן עֵינֶֽיךָ׃

Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes wink?

כִּי־תָשִׁיב אֶל־אֵל רוּחֶךָ וְהֹצֵאתָ מִפִּיךָ מִלִּֽין׃

That thou turnest thy spirit against God, And lettest such words go out of thy mouth.

מָה־אֱנוֹשׁ כִּי־יִזְכֶּה וְכִי־יִצְדַּק יְלוּד אִשָּֽׁה׃

What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

הֵן בִּקְדֹשָׁיו לֹא יַאֲמִין וְשָׁמַיִם לֹא־זַכּוּ בְעֵינָֽיו׃

Behold, He putteth no trust in His holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight.

אַף כִּי־נִתְעָב וְנֶאֱלָח אִישׁ־שֹׁתֶה כַמַּיִם עַוְלָֽה׃

How much less one that is abominable and impure, Man who drinketh iniquity like water! .

אֲחַוְךָ שְׁמַע־לִי וְזֶה־חָזִיתִי וַאֲסַפֵּֽרָה׃

I will tell thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare -

אֲשֶׁר־חֲכָמִים יַגִּידוּ וְלֹא כִחֲדוּ מֵאֲבוֹתָֽם׃

Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;

לָהֶם לְבַדָּם נִתְּנָה הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא־עָבַר זָר בְּתוֹכָֽם׃

Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them.

כָּל־יְמֵי רָשָׁע הוּא מִתְחוֹלֵל וּמִסְפַּר שָׁנִים נִצְפְּנוּ לֶעָרִֽיץ׃

The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.

קוֹל־פְּחָדִים בְּאָזְנָיו בַּשָּׁלוֹם שׁוֹדֵד יְבוֹאֶֽנּוּ׃

A sound of terrors is in his ears: In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

לֹא־יַאֲמִין שׁוּב מִנִּי־חֹשֶׁךְ וְצָפוּי הוּא אֱלֵי־חָֽרֶב׃

He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.

נֹדֵד הוּא לַלֶּחֶם אַיֵּה יָדַע כִּי־נָכוֹן בְּיָדוֹ יֽוֹם־חֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

He wandereth abroad for bread: ‘Where is it?’ He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

יְבַעֲתֻהוּ צַר וּמְצוּקָה תִּתְקְפֵהוּ כְּמֶלֶךְ עָתִיד לַכִּידֽוֹר׃

Distress and anguish overwhelm him; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

כִּי־נָטָה אֶל־אֵל יָדוֹ וְאֶל־שַׁדַּי יִתְגַּבָּֽר׃

Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;

יָרוּץ אֵלָיו בְּצַוָּאר בַּעֲבִי גַּבֵּי מָֽגִנָּֽיו׃

He runneth upon him with a stiff neck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers.

כִּי־כִסָּה פָנָיו בְּחֶלְבּוֹ וַיַּעַשׂ פִּימָה עֲלֵי־כָֽסֶל׃

Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And made collops of fat on his loins;

וַיִּשְׁכּוֹן עָרִים נִכְחָדוֹת בָּתִּים לֹא־יֵשְׁבוּ לָמוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַתְּדוּ לְגַלִּֽים׃

And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man would inhabit, Which were ready to become heaps.

לֹא־יֶעְשַׁר וְלֹא־יָקוּם חֵילוֹ וְלֹא־יִטֶּה לָאָרֶץ מִנְלָֽם׃

He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their produce bend to the earth.

לֹא־יָסוּר מִנִּי־חֹשֶׁךְ יֹנַקְתּוֹ תְּיַבֵּשׁ שַׁלְהָבֶת וְיָסוּר בְּרוּחַ פִּֽיו׃

He shall not depart out of darkness; The flame shall dry up his branches, And by the breath of His mouth shall he go away.

אַל־יַאֲמֵן בַּשָּׁיו נִתְעָה כִּי־שָׁוְא תִּהְיֶה תְמוּרָתֽוֹ׃

Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.

בְּלֹא־יוֹמוֹ תִּמָּלֵא וְכִפָּתוֹ לֹא רַעֲנָֽנָה׃

It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be leafy.

יַחְמֹס כַּגֶּפֶן בִּסְרוֹ וְיַשְׁלֵךְ כַּזַּיִת נִצָּתֽוֹ׃

He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive.

כִּי־עֲדַת חָנֵף גַּלְמוּד וְאֵשׁ אָכְלָה אָֽהֳלֵי־שֹֽׁחַד׃

For the company of the godless shall be desolate, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

הָרֹה עָמָל וְיָלֹד אָוֶן וּבִטְנָם תָּכִין מִרְמָֽה׃

They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their belly prepareth deceit.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 15 of the 42 chapters of Job
  • Job is one of the Writings
  • 35 verses, 261 words, about 3 minutes to read

Job has 42 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Job·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Job chapter 15 have?

Job chapter 15 has 35 verses and 261 words.

How does Job chapter 15 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words ויען אליפז התימני ויאמר.

Where does Job chapter 15 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 15 of the 42 chapters of Job, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read Job chapter 15?

About 3 minutes, at a steady pace.