Job 20
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered by saying:
Na Naamani Sofar buae se,
2 In response, various thoughts succeed one another in me, and my mind moves quickly through different ideas.
Me tirim mu ntew me, na ɛhyɛ me sɛ mimmua efisɛ me ho yeraw me yiye.
3 The teaching you use to admonish me, I will hear, and the spirit of my understanding will respond for me.
Mate animka bi a egu me ho fi, na ntease a minya no hyɛ me sɛ mimmua.
4 This, I know, is from the beginning, from the time that man was set over the earth:
“Ampa ara wunim sɛnea nneɛma te fi tete, efi bere a wɔde nnipa duaa asase so no,
5 that the praise of the impious shall be short, and the joy of the hypocrite lasts only a moment.
sɛ amumɔyɛfo ani gye bere tiaa bi mu, na wɔn a wonsuro nyame nso anigye nkyɛ.
6 If his pride ascends even towards the heavens, and his head touches the clouds,
Ɛwɔ mu sɛ nʼahohoahoa kodu ɔsoro, na ne ti kɔpem omununkum koraa a,
7 in the end, he will be destroyed like a trash heap, and those who had seen him will say: “Where is he?”
ɔbɛyera afebɔɔ te sɛ nʼankasa nʼagyanan; na wɔn a wohuu no no bebisa se, ‘Ɔwɔ he?’
8 Like a dream that flies away, he will not be found; he will pass away like a nightmare.
Otu kɔ te sɛ ɔdae, na wɔrenhu no bio, wɔn werɛ fi te sɛ anadwo mu anisoadehu.
9 The eyes that had seen him, will not see him; no longer will his own place admire him.
Ani a ehuu no no renhu no bio; na ne sibea nso renhu no bio.
10 His sons will be worn away by poverty, and his own hands will deliver his grief to him.
Ne mma bɛpata ahiafo; ɛsɛ sɛ nʼankasa de nʼahonya san ma.
11 His bones will be filled with the vices of his youth, and they will sleep with him in the dust.
Ne mmerantebere mu ahoɔden a ahyɛ ne nnompe ma no ne no bɛkɔ mfutuma mu.
12 For, when evil will be sweet in his mouth, he will hide it under his tongue.
“Ɛwɔ mu sɛ bɔne yɛ nʼanom dɛ na ɔde sie ne tɛkrɛma ase,
13 He will permit it, and not abandon it, and he will conceal it in his throat.
ɛwɔ mu sɛ ontumi nnyaa mu na ɔma ɛka ne dudom,
14 His bread in his belly will be turned into the venom of snakes within him.
nanso, nʼaduan bɛyɛ nwen wɔ ne yafunu mu; ɛbɛyɛ ɔwɔ ano bɔre wɔ ne mu.
15 The riches that he devours, he will vomit up, and from his stomach God will draw them out.
Ɔbɛfe ahonyade a ɔmenee no; Onyankopɔn bɛma ne yafunu apuw agu.
16 He will suck the head of snakes, and the tongue of the viper will kill him.
Ɔbɛfefe awɔ bɔre; Ɔnanka se bekum no.
17 (May he never see the streams of the river, the torrents of honey and butter.)
Ɔrennya nsuwansuwa no nnom nsubɔnten a nufusu ne ɛwo sen wɔ mu no.
18 He will be repaid for all he has done, yet he will not be consumed; according to the multitude of his schemes, so also will he suffer.
Ɔbɛdan nea ɔbrɛ nyae no aba a ɔrenni bi; ɔremfa nʼaguadi mu mfaso nnye nʼani.
19 For, having broken in, he stripped the poor. He has quickly stolen away a house he did not build.
Efisɛ ɔhyɛɛ ahiafo so ma wodii ohia buruburoo; ɔde ne nsa ato afi a ɛnyɛ ɔno na osii so.
20 And yet his stomach will not be satisfied, and when he has the things he desires, he will not be able to possess them.
“Ampa ara ɔrennya ahomegye mfi nea wapere anya no mu; ɔrentumi mfa nʼademude nnye ne ho nkwa.
21 Nothing remained of his portion, and, because of this, nothing will continue of his kind.
Wafom nneɛma nyinaa awie; ne nkɔso nnu baabiara.
22 When he will be satisfied, he will be constrained; he will seethe, and all anguish will fall upon him.
Nʼadedodow nyinaa mu no, ɔbɛkɔ ɔhaw mu; na amanehunu a emu yɛ den bɛto no.
23 May his stomach be filled, so that God may send forth the fury of his wrath to him and may rain down his battle upon him.
Bere a nʼafuru ayɛ ma no, Onyankopɔn bɛtɔ nʼabufuw gya agu ne so na wabobɔ no basabasa.
24 He will flee from weapons of iron, and he will fall in an arc of brass,
Ɛwɔ mu sɛ oguan fi dade akode ano nanso bɛmma a ano yɛ kɔbere mfrafrae bɛwɔ no.
25 which had been drawn and had issued forth from its sheath, glittering in its bitterness: the horrible ones will go forth and approach over him.
Ɔtwe bɛmma no fi nʼakyi, ano hyɛnhyɛn no fi ne brɛbo mu. Ehu bɛba ne so;
26 All darkness has been hidden in his secrecy. A fire that has not been set will devour him; he will be thrown down and forsaken in his tabernacle.
sum kabii retwɛn nʼademude. Ogya a ɛnnɛw mu bɛhyew no, na asɛe nea aka wɔ ne ntamadan mu.
27 The heavens will reveal his sinfulness, and the earth will rise up against him.
Ɔsoro bɛda nʼafɔdi adi, na asase asɔre atia no.
28 The offspring of his house will be exposed; he will be pulled down in the day of God’s wrath.
Nsuyiri bɛtwe ne fi akɔ, saa ara na asuworo bɛyɛ Onyankopɔn abufuwhyew da no.
29 This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the inheritance of his words from the Lord.
Eyi ne nkrabea a Onyankopɔn de ma amumɔyɛfo, agyapade a Onyankopɔn de ato hɔ ama wɔn ne no.”
