Job 20
1 Then Sophar the Naamathite answered, and said:
Then responded Zophar the Naamathite, and said: —
2 Therefore various thoughts succeed one another in me, and my mind is hurried away to different things.
Not so, do my thoughts answer me, and to this end, is my haste within me:
3 The doctrine with which thou reprovest me, I will hear, and the spirit of my understanding shall answer for me.
The correction meant to confound me, I must hear, but, the spirit—out of my understanding, will give me a reply.
4 This I know from the beginning, since man was placed upon the earth,
Knowest thou, this—from antiquity, from the placing of man upon earth: —
5 That the praise of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment.
That, the joy-shout of the lawless, is short, and, the rejoicing of the impious, for a moment?
6 If his pride mount up even to heaven, and his head touch the clouds:
Though his elevation mount up to the heavens, and, his head, to the clouds, doth reach,
7 In the end he shall be destroyed like a dunghill, and they that has seen him shall say: Where is he?
Like his own stubble, shall he utterly perish, They who had seen him, shall say, Where is he?
8 As a dream that fleeth away he shall not be found, he shall pass as a vision of the night:
Like a dream, shall he fly away, and they shall not find him, yea he shall be chased away, as a vision of the night.
9 The eyes that had seen him, shall see him no more, neither shall his place any more behold him.
The eye that hath scanned him, shall not do it again, neither, any more, shall his place behold him:
10 His children shall be oppressed with want, and his hands shall render him his sorrow.
His children, shall seek the favour of the poor, and, his own hand, shall give back his wealth.
11 His bones shall be filled with the vices of his youth, and they shall sleep with him in the dust.
His bones, are full of youthful vigour, yet, with him—in the dust, shall it lie down.
12 For when evil shall be sweet in his mouth, he will hide it under his tongue.
Though, a sweet taste in his mouth, be given by vice, though he hide it under his tongue;
13 He will spare it, and not leave it, and will hide it in his throat.
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but retain it in the midst of his mouth,
14 His bread in his belly shall be turned into the gall of asps within him.
His food, in his stomach, is changed, the gall of adders, within him!
15 The riches which he hath swallowed; he shall vomit up, and God shall draw them out of his belly.
Wealth, hath he swallowed, and hath vomited the same, Out of his belly, shall, GOD, drive it forth:
16 He shall suck the head of asps, and the viper’s tongue shall kill him.
The poison of adders, shall he suck, The tongue of the viper shall slay him;
17 (Let him not see the streams of the river, the brooks of honey and of butter.)
Let him not see in the channels the flowings of torrents of honey and milk.
18 He shall be punished for all that he did, and yet shall not be consumed: according to the multitude of his devices so also shall he suffer.
In vain, he toiled, he shall not swallow, like wealth to be restored, in which he cannot exult!
19 Because he broke in and stripped the poor: he hath violently taken away a house which he did not build.
For he hath oppressed—hath forsaken the poor, A house, hath he seized, which he cannot rebuild.
20 And yet his belly was not filled: and when he hath the things he coveted, he shall not be able to possess them.
Surely he hath known no peace in his inmost mind, —With his dearest thing, shall he not get away:
21 There was nothing left of his meat, and therefore nothing shall continue of his goods:
Nothing escaped his devouring greed, —For this cause, shall his prosperity not continue:
22 When he shall be filled, he shall be straitened, he shall burn, and every sorrow shall fall upon him.
When his abundance is gone, he shall be in straits, All the power of distress, shall come upon him.
23 May his belly be filled, that God may send forth the wrath of his indignation upon him, and rain down his war upon him.
It shall be that, to fill his belly, he will thrust at him the glow of his anger, and rain [it] upon him for his punishment.
24 He shall flee from weapons of iron, and shall fall upon a bow of brass.
He shall flee from the armour of iron, —There shall pierce him, a bow of bronze!
25 The sword is drawn out, and cometh forth from its scabbard, and glittereth in his bitterness: the terrible ones shall go and come upon him.
He hath drawn it out, and it hath come forth out of his back, —yea the flashing arrow-head, out of his gall, There shall march on him—terrors:
26 All darkness is hid in his secret places: a fire that is not kindled shall devour him, he shall be afflicted when left in his tabernacle.
Every misfortune, is laid up for his treasures, —There shall consume, a fire, not blown up, —it shall destroy what remaineth in his tent:
27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him.
The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and, the earth, be rising up against him:
28 The offspring of his house shall be exposed, he shall be pulled down in the day of God’s wrath.
The increase of his house shall vanish, melting away in the day of his anger.
29 This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the inheritance of his doings from the Lord.
This, is the portion of the lawless man, from God, and the inheritance decreed him from the Mighty One.
