Job 20
1 Then Zophar replied,
Na Naamani Sofar buaa sɛ,
2 “I am very perturbed about what you have said, so I want to reply very quickly.
“Me tiri mu ntene me, na ɛhyɛ me sɛ memmua ɛfiri sɛ me ho yera me yie.
3 By saying these things you have insulted me, but I know how (OR, because I understand very much) I can reply to you.
Mate animka bi a ɛgu me ho fi, na nteaseɛ a menya no hyɛ me sɛ memmua.
4 “Do you not know that from long ago, ever since people were first put on the earth,
“Ampa ara wonim sɛdeɛ nneɛma teɛ firi tete, ɛfiri ɛberɛ a wɔde nnipa duaa asase so,
5 wicked people [like you] do not continue to rejoice for a long time, ungodly people are happy only for a (moment/very short time) [HYP]?
sɛ amumuyɛfoɔ ani gye ɛberɛ tiawa bi mu, na wɔn a wɔnnsuro nyame nso anigyeɛ nkyɛ.
6 [Even] though their reputation/pride reaches up to the sky and their fame goes up as high as the clouds,
Ɛwom sɛ nʼahohoahoa kɔduru ɔsoro, na ne tiri kɔpem omununkum deɛ,
7 they will disappear forever, like their own dung, and those who knew them will ask, ‘(Where did they go/What happened to them)?’
nanso, ɔbɛyera afebɔɔ te sɛ nʼankasa agyanan; na wɔn a wɔhunuu no no bɛbisa sɛ, ‘Ɔwɔ he?’
8 They will be forgotten like [SIM] a dream is, and they will exist no more. They will vanish, like visions [that people see] during the night.
Ɔtu kɔ te sɛ daeɛ, na wɔrenhunu no bio. Wɔtwam kɔ te sɛ anadwo mu anisoadehunu.
9 Those who saw those people previously will never see them again; even their families [MTY] will not see them any more.
Ani a ɛhunu noɔ no renhunu no bio; na ne siberɛ nso renhunu no bio.
10 Their children will be forced to return the valuable things that those children stole from poor people [DOU].
Ne mma bɛsrɛ adeɛ afiri ahiafoɔ hɔ; ɛsɛ sɛ nʼankasa de nʼahonya sane ma.
11 Previously their bodies were young and strong, but they will die and [their bodies will] be buried in the ground.
Ne mmeranteberɛ mu ahoɔden a ahyɛ ne nnompe ma no ne no bɛkɔ mfuturo mu.
12 “Doing wicked things was like having sweet food in their mouths, and they wanted to continue to taste it.
“Ɛwom sɛ bɔne yɛ nʼanom dɛ na ɔde sie ne tɛkrɛma ase;
13 And they did not want to stop doing those things,
ɛwom sɛ ɔntumi nnyaa mu na ɔma ɛka ne dodom,
14 [but some day] the evil things that they enjoyed doing will become like food [that they swallow] [and which becomes] as bitter as snake venom.
nanso, nʼaduane bɛyɛ nwono wɔ ne yafunu mu; ɛbɛyɛ ɔtweaseɛ ano borɔ wɔ ne mu.
15 Wicked people will not continue to keep the money they have accumulated, like people do not keep the food that they vomit. God takes their wealth from them.
Ɔbɛfe ahonyadeɛ a ɔmeneeɛ no; Onyankopɔn bɛma ne yafunu apu agu.
16 What wicked people do is [like] [MET] swallowing snake venom; it will kill them like [MET] the bite of a poisonous snake kills people.
Ɔbɛfefe awɔ borɔ; Ɔnanka se bɛkum no.
17 They will not remain alive to see abundant blessings [IDM] [from God], milk and olive oil and honey, that are [so abundant they are] like [MET] a stream that flows by.
Ɔrennya nsuwansuwa no nnom nsubɔntene a nufosuo ne ɛwoɔ sene wɔ mu no.
18 They will be forced to give back the things that they stole from the poor; they will not be able to continue to enjoy those things. They will not remain happy because of what they got from their businesses,
Ɔbɛdane deɛ ɔbrɛ nyaeɛ no aba a ɔrenni bi; ɔremfa nʼadwadie mu mfasoɔ nnye nʼani.
19 because they oppressed poor people and refused to help them, and they took other people’s houses [by cheating them].
Ɛfiri sɛ ɔhyɛɛ ahiafoɔ so ma wɔdii ohia buruburo; ɔde ne nsa ato afie a ɛnyɛ ɔno na ɔsiiɛ so.
20 “They were always greedy and never satisfied. They just keep dreaming about owning more and more things.
“Ampa ara ɔrennya ahomegyeɛ mfiri deɛ wapere anya no mu; ɔrentumi mfa nʼakoradeɛ nnye ne ho nkwa.
21 When they finished eating their food, there was never anything left over [because they had greedily eaten it all]; but now their prosperity will end.
Wafom nneɛma nyinaa awie; ne nkɔsoɔ nnuru baabiara.
22 When they are extremely prosperous/wealthy, they will suddenly experience a lot of trouble. (Misery will strike them and crush them [PRS]/They will suffer very greatly).
Nʼadedodoɔ nyinaa mu no, ɔbɛkɔ ɔhaw mu; na amanehunu a emu yɛ den bɛto no.
23 When the wicked people are filling their stomachs, God will show that he is very angry with them and punish them; the punishment [that he gives them] will be like [MET] rain falling on them.
Ɛberɛ a nʼafuru ayɛ ma no, Onyankopɔn bɛtɔ nʼabufuo ogya agu ne so na wabobɔ no basabasa.
24 They will try to escape from [being killed by] iron weapons, but arrows with bronze points will pierce them.
Ɛwom sɛ ɔdwane firi dadeɛ akodeɛ ano nanso bɛmma a ano yɛ kɔbere mfrafraeɛ bɛwɔ no.
25 The arrows will [go completely through their bodies and] stick out of their backs; the shiny points of the arrows will have blood dripping from them, and those wicked people will be terrified.
Wɔbɛtwe bɛmma no firi nʼakyi, ano hyɛnhyɛn no bɛfiri ne brɛboɔ mu. Ehu bɛba ne so;
26 Their valuable possessions will all be destroyed; a fire that is not lit by humans, [but by God, ] will burn them up and also destroy the things that are left in their tents.
esum kabii bɛduru nʼakoradeɛ. Ogya a wɔmfite mu bɛhye no, na asɛe deɛ aka wɔ ne ntomadan mu.
27 The [angels in] heaven [MTY] will reveal the sins that those wicked people have committed, and [people on] earth will stand up and testify against them.
Ɔsoro bɛda nʼafɔdie adi, na asase asɔre atia no.
28 When God punishes [MTY] [people], all the possessions in the wicked people’s houses will be carried away by a flood.
Nsuyire bɛtwe ne fie akɔ, saa ara na nsuworosoɔ bɛyɛ Onyankopɔn abufuhyeɛ da no.
29 That is what will happen to wicked people [like you]; that is what God has decided will happen to them.”
Yei ne hyɛberɛ a Onyankopɔn de ma amumuyɛfoɔ, awugyadeɛ a Onyankopɔn de ato wɔn hɔ.”
