Hiob 20
1 Na Naamani Sofar buae se,
Then Zophar replied,
2 Me tirim mu ntew me, na ɛhyɛ me sɛ mimmua efisɛ me ho yeraw me yiye.
“I am very perturbed about what you have said, so I want to reply very quickly.
3 Mate animka bi a egu me ho fi, na ntease a minya no hyɛ me sɛ mimmua.
By saying these things you have insulted me, but I know how (OR, because I understand very much) I can reply to you.
4 “Ampa ara wunim sɛnea nneɛma te fi tete, efi bere a wɔde nnipa duaa asase so no,
“Do you not know that from long ago, ever since people were first put on the earth,
5 sɛ amumɔyɛfo ani gye bere tiaa bi mu, na wɔn a wonsuro nyame nso anigye nkyɛ.
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]?
6 Ɛwɔ mu sɛ nʼahohoahoa kodu ɔsoro, na ne ti kɔpem omununkum koraa a,
[Even] though their reputation/pride reaches up to the sky and their fame goes up as high as the clouds,
7 ɔbɛyera afebɔɔ te sɛ nʼankasa nʼagyanan; na wɔn a wohuu no no bebisa se, ‘Ɔwɔ he?’
they will disappear forever, like their own dung, and those who knew them will ask, ‘(Where did they go/What happened to them)?’
8 Otu kɔ te sɛ ɔdae, na wɔrenhu no bio, wɔn werɛ fi te sɛ anadwo mu anisoadehu.
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.
9 Ani a ehuu no no renhu no bio; na ne sibea nso renhu no bio.
Those who saw those people previously will never see them again; even their families [MTY] will not see them any more.
10 Ne mma bɛpata ahiafo; ɛsɛ sɛ nʼankasa de nʼahonya san ma.
Their children will be forced to return the valuable things that those children stole from poor people [DOU].
11 Ne mmerantebere mu ahoɔden a ahyɛ ne nnompe ma no ne no bɛkɔ mfutuma mu.
Previously their bodies were young and strong, but they will die and [their bodies will] be buried in the ground.
12 “Ɛwɔ mu sɛ bɔne yɛ nʼanom dɛ na ɔde sie ne tɛkrɛma ase,
“Doing wicked things was like having sweet food in their mouths, and they wanted to continue to taste it.
13 ɛwɔ mu sɛ ontumi nnyaa mu na ɔma ɛka ne dudom,
And they did not want to stop doing those things,
14 nanso, nʼaduan bɛyɛ nwen wɔ ne yafunu mu; ɛbɛyɛ ɔwɔ ano bɔre wɔ ne mu.
[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.
15 Ɔbɛfe ahonyade a ɔmenee no; Onyankopɔn bɛma ne yafunu apuw agu.
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.
16 Ɔbɛfefe awɔ bɔre; Ɔnanka se bekum no.
What wicked people do is [like] [MET] swallowing snake venom; it will kill them like [MET] the bite of a poisonous snake kills people.
17 Ɔrennya nsuwansuwa no nnom nsubɔnten a nufusu ne ɛwo sen wɔ mu no.
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.
18 Ɔbɛdan nea ɔbrɛ nyae no aba a ɔrenni bi; ɔremfa nʼaguadi mu mfaso nnye nʼani.
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,
19 Efisɛ ɔhyɛɛ ahiafo so ma wodii ohia buruburoo; ɔde ne nsa ato afi a ɛnyɛ ɔno na osii so.
because they oppressed poor people and refused to help them, and they took other people’s houses [by cheating them].
20 “Ampa ara ɔrennya ahomegye mfi nea wapere anya no mu; ɔrentumi mfa nʼademude nnye ne ho nkwa.
“They were always greedy and never satisfied. They just keep dreaming about owning more and more things.
21 Wafom nneɛma nyinaa awie; ne nkɔso nnu baabiara.
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.
22 Nʼadedodow nyinaa mu no, ɔbɛkɔ ɔhaw mu; na amanehunu a emu yɛ den bɛto no.
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).
23 Bere a nʼafuru ayɛ ma no, Onyankopɔn bɛtɔ nʼabufuw gya agu ne so na wabobɔ no basabasa.
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.
24 Ɛwɔ mu sɛ oguan fi dade akode ano nanso bɛmma a ano yɛ kɔbere mfrafrae bɛwɔ no.
They will try to escape from [being killed by] iron weapons, but arrows with bronze points will pierce them.
25 Ɔtwe bɛmma no fi nʼakyi, ano hyɛnhyɛn no fi ne brɛbo mu. Ehu bɛba ne so;
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.
26 sum kabii retwɛn nʼademude. Ogya a ɛnnɛw mu bɛhyew no, na asɛe nea aka wɔ ne ntamadan mu.
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.
27 Ɔsoro bɛda nʼafɔdi adi, na asase asɔre atia no.
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.
28 Nsuyiri bɛtwe ne fi akɔ, saa ara na asuworo bɛyɛ Onyankopɔn abufuwhyew da no.
When God punishes [MTY] [people], all the possessions in the wicked people’s houses will be carried away by a flood.
29 Eyi ne nkrabea a Onyankopɔn de ma amumɔyɛfo, agyapade a Onyankopɔn de ato hɔ ama wɔn ne no.”
That is what will happen to wicked people [like you]; that is what God has decided will happen to them.”
