Job 20

1 Then responded Zophar the Naamathite, and said: —

And Zophar the Naamathite answereth and saith: —

2 Not so, do my thoughts answer me, and to this end, is my haste within me:

Therefore my thoughts cause me to answer, And because of my sensations in me.

3 The correction meant to confound me, I must hear, but, the spirit—out of my understanding, will give me a reply.

The chastisement of my shame I hear, And the spirit of mine understanding Doth cause me to answer:

4 Knowest thou, this—from antiquity, from the placing of man upon earth: —

This hast thou known from antiquity? Since the placing of man on earth?

5 That, the joy-shout of the lawless, is short, and, the rejoicing of the impious, for a moment?

That the singing of the wicked [is] short, And the joy of the profane for a moment,

6 Though his elevation mount up to the heavens, and, his head, to the clouds, doth reach,

Though his excellency go up to the heavens, And his head against a cloud he strike —

7 Like his own stubble, shall he utterly perish, They who had seen him, shall say, Where is he?

As his own dung for ever he doth perish, His beholders say: 'Where [is] he?'

8 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.

As a dream he fleeth, and they find him not, And he is driven away as a vision of the night,

9 The eye that hath scanned him, shall not do it again, neither, any more, shall his place behold him:

The eye hath not seen him, and addeth not. And not again doth his place behold him.

10 His children, shall seek the favour of the poor, and, his own hand, shall give back his wealth.

His sons do the poor oppress, And his hands give back his wealth.

11 His bones, are full of youthful vigour, yet, with him—in the dust, shall it lie down.

His bones have been full of his youth, And with him on the dust it lieth down.

12 Though, a sweet taste in his mouth, be given by vice, though he hide it under his tongue;

Though he doth sweeten evil in his mouth, Doth hide it under his tongue,

13 Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but retain it in the midst of his mouth,

Hath pity on it, and doth not forsake it, And keep it back in the midst of his palate,

14 His food, in his stomach, is changed, the gall of adders, within him!

His food in his bowels is turned, The bitterness of asps [is] in his heart.

15 Wealth, hath he swallowed, and hath vomited the same, Out of his belly, shall, GOD, drive it forth:

Wealth he hath swallowed, and doth vomit it. From his belly God driveth it out.

16 The poison of adders, shall he suck, The tongue of the viper shall slay him;

Gall of asps he sucketh, Slay him doth the tongue of a viper.

17 Let him not see in the channels the flowings of torrents of honey and milk.

He looketh not on rivulets, Flowing of brooks of honey and butter.

18 In vain, he toiled, he shall not swallow, like wealth to be restored, in which he cannot exult!

He is giving back [what] he laboured for, And doth not consume [it]; As a bulwark [is] his exchange, and he exults not.

19 For he hath oppressed—hath forsaken the poor, A house, hath he seized, which he cannot rebuild.

For he oppressed — he forsook the poor, A house he hath taken violently away, And he doth not build it.

20 Surely he hath known no peace in his inmost mind, —With his dearest thing, shall he not get away:

For he hath not known ease in his belly. With his desirable thing he delivereth not himself.

21 Nothing escaped his devouring greed, —For this cause, shall his prosperity not continue:

There is not a remnant to his food, Therefore his good doth not stay.

22 When his abundance is gone, he shall be in straits, All the power of distress, shall come upon him.

In the fulness of his sufficiency he is straitened. Every perverse hand doth meet him.

23 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.

It cometh to pass, at the filling of his belly, He sendeth forth against him The fierceness of His anger, Yea, He raineth on him in his eating.

24 He shall flee from the armour of iron, —There shall pierce him, a bow of bronze!

He fleeth from an iron weapon, Pass through him doth a bow of brass.

25 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:

One hath drawn, And it cometh out from the body, And a glittering weapon from his gall proceedeth. On him [are] terrors.

26 Every misfortune, is laid up for his treasures, —There shall consume, a fire, not blown up, —it shall destroy what remaineth in his tent:

All darkness is hid for his treasures, Consume him doth a fire not blown, Broken is the remnant in his tent.

27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and, the earth, be rising up against him:

Reveal do the heavens his iniquity, And earth is raising itself against him.

28 The increase of his house shall vanish, melting away in the day of his anger.

Remove doth the increase of his house, Poured forth in a day of His anger.

29 This, is the portion of the lawless man, from God, and the inheritance decreed him from the Mighty One.

This [is] the portion of a wicked man from God. And an inheritance appointed him by God.