Job 20:7-21:20

English Standard Version

¹² “Though evil is sweet in his mouth,
    though he hides it ^(H)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 ^(I)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;
    ^(J)the tongue of a viper will kill him.
¹⁷ He will not look upon ^(K)the rivers,
    the streams flowing with ^(L)honey and ^(M)curds.
¹⁸ He will ^(N)give back the fruit of his toil
    and will not ^(O)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 ^(P)knew no ^(Q)contentment in his belly,
    ^(R)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 ^(S)into his body.
^24 (T)He will flee from an iron weapon;
    ^(U)a bronze arrow will strike ^(V)him through.
²⁵ It ^(W)is drawn forth and comes out of his body;
    ^(X)the glittering point comes out of his ^(Y)gallbladder;
    ^(Z)terrors come upon him.
²⁶ Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures;
    ^(AA)a fire not fanned will devour him;
    what is left in his tent will be consumed.
^27 (AB)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 (AC)This is the wicked man's portion from God,
    ^(AD)the heritage decreed for him by God.”

^2 (AE)“Keep listening to my words,
    and let this be your comfort.
³ Bear with me, and I will speak,
    and after I have spoken, ^(AF)mock on.
⁴ As for me, is my ^(AG)complaint against man?
    Why should I not be impatient?
⁵ Look at me and be appalled,
    and ^(AH)lay your hand over your mouth.
⁶ When I remember, I am dismayed,
    and shuddering seizes my flesh.
^7 (AI)Why do the wicked live,
    reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
⁸ Their ^(AJ)offspring are established in their presence,
    and their descendants before their eyes.
⁹ Their houses are ^(AK)safe from fear,
    and ^(AL)no rod of God is upon them.
¹⁰ Their bull breeds without fail;
    their cow calves and ^(AM)does not miscarry.
¹¹ They send out their ^(AN)little boys like a flock,
    and their children dance.
¹² They sing to ^(AO)the tambourine and ^(AP)the lyre
    and rejoice to the sound of ^(AQ)the pipe.
¹³ They ^(AR)spend their days in prosperity,
    and in ^(AS)peace they go down to ^(AT)Sheol.
¹⁴ They say to God, ^(AU)‘Depart from us!
    We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
^15 (AV)What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
    And what ^(AW)profit do we get if we pray to him?’
¹⁶ Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?
    ^(AX)The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁷ “How often is it that ^(AY)the lamp of the wicked is put out?
    That their calamity comes upon them?
    That God^[c] distributes pains in his anger?
¹⁸ That they are like ^(AZ)straw before the wind,
    and like ^(BA)chaff that the storm carries away?
¹⁹ You say, ‘God ^(BB)stores up their iniquity for their ^(BC)children.’
    Let him pay it out to them, that they may ^(BD)know it.
²⁰ Let their own eyes see their destruction,
    and let them ^(BE)drink of the wrath of the Almighty.