Job 20  Living Bible

20 The speech of Zophar the Naamathite:

² “I hasten to reply, for I have the answer for you. ³ You have tried to make me feel ashamed of myself for calling you a sinner, but my spirit won’t let me stop.

⁴ “Don’t you realize that ever since man was first placed upon the earth, ⁵ the triumph of the wicked has been short-lived, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? ⁶ Though the godless be proud as the heavens and walk with his nose in the air, ⁷ yet he shall perish forever, cast away like his own dung. Those who knew him will wonder where he has gone. ⁸ He will fade like a dream. ⁹ Neither his friends nor his family will ever see him again.

¹⁰ “His children shall beg from the poor, their hard labor shall repay his debts. ¹¹ Though still a young man, his bones shall lie in the dust.

¹² “He enjoyed the taste of his wickedness, letting it melt in his mouth, ¹³ sipping it slowly, lest it disappear.

¹⁴ “But suddenly the food he has eaten turns sour within him. ¹⁵ He will vomit the plunder he gorged. God won’t let him keep it down. ¹⁶ It is like poison and death to him. ¹⁷ He shall not enjoy the goods he stole; they will not be butter and honey to him after all. ¹⁸ His labors shall not be rewarded; wealth will give him no joy. ¹⁹ For he has oppressed the poor and foreclosed their homes; he will never recover. ²⁰ Though he was always greedy, now he has nothing; of all the things he dreamed of—none remain. ²¹ Because he stole at every opportunity, his prosperity shall not continue.

²² “He shall run into trouble at the peak of his powers; all the wicked shall destroy him. ²³ Just as he is about to fill his belly, God will rain down wrath upon him. ²⁴ He will be chased and struck down. ²⁵ The arrow is pulled from his body—and the glittering point comes out from his gall. The terrors of death are upon him.

²⁶ “His treasures will be lost in deepest darkness. A raging fire will devour his goods, consuming all he has left. ²⁷ The heavens will reveal his sins, and the earth will give testimony against him. ²⁸ His wealth will disappear beneath the wrath of God. ²⁹ This is what awaits the wicked man, for God prepares it for him.”