Hiob 20
1 Na Naamani Sofar buaa sɛ,
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered by saying:
2 “Me tiri mu ntene me, na ɛhyɛ me sɛ memmua ɛfiri sɛ me ho yera me yie.
In response, various thoughts succeed one another in me, and my mind moves quickly through different ideas.
3 Mate animka bi a ɛgu me ho fi, na nteaseɛ a menya no hyɛ me sɛ memmua.
The teaching you use to admonish me, I will hear, and the spirit of my understanding will respond for me.
4 “Ampa ara wonim sɛdeɛ nneɛma teɛ firi tete, ɛfiri ɛberɛ a wɔde nnipa duaa asase so,
This, I know, is from the beginning, from the time that man was set over the earth:
5 sɛ amumuyɛfoɔ ani gye ɛberɛ tiawa bi mu, na wɔn a wɔnnsuro nyame nso anigyeɛ nkyɛ.
that the praise of the impious shall be short, and the joy of the hypocrite lasts only a moment.
6 Ɛwom sɛ nʼahohoahoa kɔduru ɔsoro, na ne tiri kɔpem omununkum deɛ,
If his pride ascends even towards the heavens, and his head touches the clouds,
7 nanso, ɔbɛyera afebɔɔ te sɛ nʼankasa agyanan; na wɔn a wɔhunuu no no bɛbisa sɛ, ‘Ɔwɔ he?’
in the end, he will be destroyed like a trash heap, and those who had seen him will say: “Where is he?”
8 Ɔtu kɔ te sɛ daeɛ, na wɔrenhunu no bio. Wɔtwam kɔ te sɛ anadwo mu anisoadehunu.
Like a dream that flies away, he will not be found; he will pass away like a nightmare.
9 Ani a ɛhunu noɔ no renhunu no bio; na ne siberɛ nso renhunu no bio.
The eyes that had seen him, will not see him; no longer will his own place admire him.
10 Ne mma bɛsrɛ adeɛ afiri ahiafoɔ hɔ; ɛsɛ sɛ nʼankasa de nʼahonya sane ma.
His sons will be worn away by poverty, and his own hands will deliver his grief to him.
11 Ne mmeranteberɛ mu ahoɔden a ahyɛ ne nnompe ma no ne no bɛkɔ mfuturo mu.
His bones will be filled with the vices of his youth, and they will sleep with him in the dust.
12 “Ɛwom sɛ bɔne yɛ nʼanom dɛ na ɔde sie ne tɛkrɛma ase;
For, when evil will be sweet in his mouth, he will hide it under his tongue.
13 ɛwom sɛ ɔntumi nnyaa mu na ɔma ɛka ne dodom,
He will permit it, and not abandon it, and he will conceal it in his throat.
14 nanso, nʼaduane bɛyɛ nwono wɔ ne yafunu mu; ɛbɛyɛ ɔtweaseɛ ano borɔ wɔ ne mu.
His bread in his belly will be turned into the venom of snakes within him.
15 Ɔbɛfe ahonyadeɛ a ɔmeneeɛ no; Onyankopɔn bɛma ne yafunu apu agu.
The riches that he devours, he will vomit up, and from his stomach God will draw them out.
16 Ɔbɛfefe awɔ borɔ; Ɔnanka se bɛkum no.
He will suck the head of snakes, and the tongue of the viper will kill him.
17 Ɔrennya nsuwansuwa no nnom nsubɔntene a nufosuo ne ɛwoɔ sene wɔ mu no.
(May he never see the streams of the river, the torrents of honey and butter.)
18 Ɔbɛdane deɛ ɔbrɛ nyaeɛ no aba a ɔrenni bi; ɔremfa nʼadwadie mu mfasoɔ nnye nʼani.
He will be repaid for all he has done, yet he will not be consumed; according to the multitude of his schemes, so also will he suffer.
19 Ɛfiri sɛ ɔhyɛɛ ahiafoɔ so ma wɔdii ohia buruburo; ɔde ne nsa ato afie a ɛnyɛ ɔno na ɔsiiɛ so.
For, having broken in, he stripped the poor. He has quickly stolen away a house he did not build.
20 “Ampa ara ɔrennya ahomegyeɛ mfiri deɛ wapere anya no mu; ɔrentumi mfa nʼakoradeɛ nnye ne ho nkwa.
And yet his stomach will not be satisfied, and when he has the things he desires, he will not be able to possess them.
21 Wafom nneɛma nyinaa awie; ne nkɔsoɔ nnuru baabiara.
Nothing remained of his portion, and, because of this, nothing will continue of his kind.
22 Nʼadedodoɔ nyinaa mu no, ɔbɛkɔ ɔhaw mu; na amanehunu a emu yɛ den bɛto no.
When he will be satisfied, he will be constrained; he will seethe, and all anguish will fall upon him.
23 Ɛberɛ a nʼafuru ayɛ ma no, Onyankopɔn bɛtɔ nʼabufuo ogya agu ne so na wabobɔ no basabasa.
May his stomach be filled, so that God may send forth the fury of his wrath to him and may rain down his battle upon him.
24 Ɛwom sɛ ɔdwane firi dadeɛ akodeɛ ano nanso bɛmma a ano yɛ kɔbere mfrafraeɛ bɛwɔ no.
He will flee from weapons of iron, and he will fall in an arc of brass,
25 Wɔbɛtwe bɛmma no firi nʼakyi, ano hyɛnhyɛn no bɛfiri ne brɛboɔ mu. Ehu bɛba ne so;
which had been drawn and had issued forth from its sheath, glittering in its bitterness: the horrible ones will go forth and approach over him.
26 esum kabii bɛduru nʼakoradeɛ. Ogya a wɔmfite mu bɛhye no, na asɛe deɛ aka wɔ ne ntomadan mu.
All darkness has been hidden in his secrecy. A fire that has not been set will devour him; he will be thrown down and forsaken in his tabernacle.
27 Ɔsoro bɛda nʼafɔdie adi, na asase asɔre atia no.
The heavens will reveal his sinfulness, and the earth will rise up against him.
28 Nsuyire bɛtwe ne fie akɔ, saa ara na nsuworosoɔ bɛyɛ Onyankopɔn abufuhyeɛ da no.
The offspring of his house will be exposed; he will be pulled down in the day of God’s wrath.
29 Yei ne hyɛberɛ a Onyankopɔn de ma amumuyɛfoɔ, awugyadeɛ a Onyankopɔn de ato wɔn hɔ.”
This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the inheritance of his words from the Lord.
