Job 18-21

New American Standard Bible

⁵ “Indeed, the ^(B)light of the wicked goes out,
And the spark from his fire does not shine.
⁶ The light in his tent is ^(C)darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
⁷ His ^[b]vigorous stride is shortened,
And his ^(D)own plan brings him down.
⁸ For he is ^(E)thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
⁹ A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
¹⁰ A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the pathway.
¹¹ All around ^(F)sudden terrors frighten him,
And ^(G)harass him at every step.
¹² His strength is ^(H)famished,
And disaster is ready at his side.
^13 [c]It devours parts of his skin,
The firstborn of death ^(I)devours his ^[d]limbs.
¹⁴ He is ^(J)torn from ^[e]the security of his tent,
And ^[f]they march him before the king of ^(K)terrors.
^15 [g]Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
^(L)Brimstone is scattered on his home.
¹⁶ His ^(M)roots are dried below,
And his ^(N)branch withers above.
^17 (O)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
^18 [h]He is driven from light ^(P)into darkness,
And ^(Q)chased from the inhabited world.
¹⁹ He has no ^(R)offspring or descendants among his people,
Nor any survivor where he resided.
²⁰ Those in the west are appalled at ^(S)his ^[i]fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
²¹ Certainly these are the ^(T)dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”

¹³ “He has ^(AJ)removed my brothers far from me,
And my ^(AK)acquaintances have completely turned away from me.
¹⁴ My relatives have failed,
And my ^(AL)close friends have forgotten me.
¹⁵ Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger.
I am a foreigner in their sight.
¹⁶ I call to my servant, but he does not answer;
I have to implore his favor with my mouth.
¹⁷ My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
¹⁸ Even young children despise me;
I stand up and they speak against me.
¹⁹ All ^[l]my ^(AM)associates loathe me,
And those I love have turned against me.
²⁰ My ^(AN)bone clings to my skin and my flesh,
And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
²¹ Pity me, pity me, you friends of mine,
For the ^(AO)hand of God has struck me.
²² Why do you ^(AP)persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?

¹² “Though ^(BL)evil tastes sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
¹³ Though he ^[w]desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it ^(BM)in his ^[x]mouth,
¹⁴ Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the ^[y]venom of cobras within him.
¹⁵ He swallows riches,
But will ^(BN)vomit them up;
God will expel them from his belly.
¹⁶ He sucks ^(BO)the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue kills him.
¹⁷ He does not look at ^(BP)the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
¹⁸ He ^(BQ)returns the product of his labor
And cannot swallow it;
As to the riches of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy them.
¹⁹ For he has ^(BR)oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.

²⁰ “Because he knew no quiet ^[z]within him,
He does ^(BS)not retain anything he desires.
²¹ Nothing remains ^[aa]for him to devour,
Therefore ^(BT)his prosperity does not endure.
²² In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped;
The ^(BU)hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
²³ When he ^(BV)fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And ^(BW)rain it on him ^[ab]while he is eating.
²⁴ He may ^(BX)flee from the iron weapon,
But the bronze bow will pierce him.
²⁵ It is drawn and comes out of his back,
Even the flashing point from ^(BY)his gallbladder;
^(BZ)Terrors come upon him,
²⁶ Complete ^(CA)darkness is held in reserve for his treasures,
And unfanned ^(CB)fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
²⁷ The ^(CC)heavens will reveal his guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
²⁸ The ^(CD)increase of his house will disappear;
His possessions will flow away ^(CE)on the day of His anger.
²⁹ This is a wicked person’s ^(CF)portion from God,
The inheritance decreed to him by God.”

¹⁷ “How often is ^(CT)the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their ^(CU)disaster fall on them?
Does ^[an]God apportion destruction in His anger?
¹⁸ Are they as ^(CV)straw before the wind,
And like ^(CW)chaff which the storm carries away?
¹⁹ You say, ‘^(CX)God saves up ^[ao]a person’s ^[ap]wrongdoing for his sons.’
Let ^[aq]God repay him so that he may know it.
²⁰ Let his ^(CY)own eyes see his destruction,
And let him ^(CZ)drink of the wrath of ^[ar]the Almighty.
²¹ For what does he care about his household ^[as]after him,
When the number of his months is at an end?
²² Can anyone ^(DA)teach God knowledge,
In that He ^(DB)judges those on high?
²³ One ^(DC)dies in his full strength,
Being wholly undisturbed and at ease;
²⁴ His ^[at]sides are filled with fat,
And the ^(DD)marrow of his bones is wet,
²⁵ While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even ^[au]tasting anything good.
²⁶ Together they ^(DE)lie down in the dust,
And ^(DF)maggots cover them.

²⁷ “Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plots you devise against me.
²⁸ For you say, ‘Where is the house of ^(DG)the nobleman,
And where is the ^(DH)tent, the dwelling places of the wicked?’
²⁹ Have you not asked travelers,
And do you not examine their ^[av]evidence?
³⁰ For the ^(DI)wicked person is spared ^[aw]a day of disaster;
They ^[ax]are led away from ^(DJ)a day of fury.
³¹ Who ^[ay]confronts him with his actions,
And who repays him for what he has done?
³² When he is carried to the grave,
People will keep watch over his tomb.
³³ The ^(DK)clods of the valley will ^[az]gently cover him;
Moreover, ^(DL)all mankind will ^[ba]follow after him,
While countless others go before him.
³⁴ So how dare you give me empty ^(DM)comfort?
For your answers remain nothing but falsehood!”