Job 20:12-29

English Standard Version

¹² “Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
    though he hides it ^(A)under his tongue,
¹³ though he is loath to let it go
    and holds it in his mouth,
¹⁴ yet his food is turned in his stomach;
    it is the venom of ^(B)cobras within him.
¹⁵ He swallows down riches and vomits them up again;
    God casts them out of his belly.
¹⁶ He will suck the poison of cobras;
    ^(C)the tongue of a viper will kill him.
¹⁷ He will not look upon ^(D)the rivers,
    the streams flowing with ^(E)honey and ^(F)curds.
¹⁸ He will ^(G)give back the fruit of his toil
    and will not ^(H)swallow it down;
from the profit of his trading
    he will get no enjoyment.
¹⁹ For he has crushed and abandoned the poor;
    he has seized a house that he did not build.

²⁰ “Because he ^(I)knew no ^(J)contentment in his belly,
    ^(K)he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
²¹ There was nothing left after he had eaten;
    therefore his prosperity will not endure.
²² In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress;
    the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.
²³ To fill his belly to the full,
    God^[a] will send his burning anger against him
    and rain it upon him ^(L)into his body.
^24 (M)He will flee from an iron weapon;
    ^(N)a bronze arrow will strike ^(O)him through.
²⁵ It ^(P)is drawn forth and comes out of his body;
    ^(Q)the glittering point comes out of his ^(R)gallbladder;
    ^(S)terrors come upon him.
²⁶ Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures;
    ^(T)a fire not fanned will devour him;
    what is left in his tent will be consumed.
^27 (U)The heavens will reveal his iniquity,
    and the earth will rise up against him.
²⁸ The possessions of his house will be carried away,
    dragged off in the day of God's^[b] wrath.
^29 (V)This is the wicked man's portion from God,
    ^(W)the heritage decreed for him by God.”