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