Job 20
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
Respondens autem Sophar Naamathites, dixit:
2 “So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer, because of the turmoil within me.
[Idcirco cogitationes meæ variæ succedunt sibi, et mens in diversa rapitur.
3 I have heard a rebuke that insults me, and my understanding prompts a reply.
Doctrinam qua me arguis audiam, et spiritus intelligentiæ meæ respondebit mihi.
4 Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth,
Hoc scio a principio, ex quo positus est homo super terram,
5 the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
quod laus impiorum brevis sit, et gaudium hypocritæ ad instar puncti.
6 Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, and his head touches the clouds,
Si ascenderit usque ad cælum superbia ejus, et caput ejus nubes tetigerit,
7 he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
quasi sterquilinium in fine perdetur, et qui eum viderant, dicent: Ubi est?
8 He will fly away like a dream, never to be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night.
Velut somnium avolans non invenietur: transiet sicut visio nocturna.
9 The eye that saw him will see him no more, and his place will no longer behold him.
Oculus qui eum viderat non videbit, neque ultra intuebitur eum locus suus.
10 His sons will seek the favor of the poor, for his own hands must return his wealth.
Filii ejus atterentur egestate, et manus illius reddent ei dolorem suum.
11 The youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie down with him in the dust.
Ossa ejus implebuntur vitiis adolescentiæ ejus, et cum eo in pulvere dormient.
12 Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,
Cum enim dulce fuerit in ore ejus malum, abscondet illud sub lingua sua.
13 though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,
Parcet illi, et non derelinquet illud, et celabit in gutture suo.
14 yet in his stomach his food sours into the venom of cobras within him.
Panis ejus in utero illius vertetur in fel aspidum intrinsecus.
15 He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach.
Divitias quas devoravit evomet, et de ventre illius extrahet eas Deus.
16 He will suck the poison of cobras; the fangs of a viper will kill him.
Caput aspidum suget, et occidet eum lingua viperæ.
17 He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
(Non videat rivulos fluminis, torrentes mellis et butyri.)
18 He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.
Luet quæ fecit omnia, nec tamen consumetur: juxta multitudinem adinventionum suarum, sic et sustinebit.
19 For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build.
Quoniam confringens nudavit pauperes: domum rapuit, et non ædificavit eam.
20 Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure.
Nec est satiatus venter ejus: et cum habuerit quæ concupierat, possidere non poterit.
21 Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure.
Non remansit de cibo ejus, et propterea nihil permanebit de bonis ejus.
22 In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him.
Cum satiatus fuerit, arctabitur: æstuabit, et omnis dolor irruet super eum.
23 When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats.
Utinam impleatur venter ejus, ut emittat in eum iram furoris sui, et pluat super illum bellum suum.
24 Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.
Fugiet arma ferrea, et irruet in arcum æreum.
25 It is drawn out of his back, the gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him.
Eductus, et egrediens de vagina sua, et fulgurans in amaritudine sua: vadent et venient super eum horribiles.
26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.
Omnes tenebræ absconditæ sunt in occultis ejus; devorabit eum ignis qui non succenditur: affligetur relictus in tabernaculo suo.
27 The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
Revelabunt cæli iniquitatem ejus, et terra consurget adversus eum.
28 The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.
Apertum erit germen domus illius: detrahetur in die furoris Dei.
29 This is the wicked man’s portion from God, the inheritance God has appointed him.”
Hæc est pars hominis impii a Deo, et hæreditas verborum ejus a Domino.]
