Job 20
Legacy Standard Bible
Zophar Says the Joy of the Wicked Is Short
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2 “Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me [a]respond,
Even because of my haste within me.
3 I listened to (A)the discipline which dishonors me,
And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
4 Do you know this from (B)of old,
From the establishment of man on earth,
5 That the (C)shouts of joy of the wicked are short,
And (D)the gladness of the godless momentary?
6 Though his loftiness (E)goes up to the heavens,
And his head touches the clouds,
7 He (F)perishes forever like his refuse;
Those who have seen him (G)will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 He flies away like a (H)dream, and they cannot find him;
Even like a vision of the night he is (I)chased away.
9 The (J)eye which saw him sees him no longer,
And (K)his place no longer beholds him.
10 His (L)sons seek the favor of the poor,
And his hands (M)give back his wealth.
11 His (N)bones are full of his youthful vigor,
But it lies down with him [b]in the dust.
12 “Though (O)evil is sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he [c]desires it and will not forsake it,
And holds it (P)to his palate,
14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the [d]venom of cobras within him.
15 He swallows up wealth,
But will (Q)vomit it up;
God will expel it from his belly.
16 He sucks (R)the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue kills him.
17 He does not look at (S)the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18 He (T)returns what he has attained
And cannot swallow it;
As to the wealth of his trading,
He cannot even enjoy it.
19 For he has (U)crushed and forsaken the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.
20 “Because he knew no ease within his belly,
In his covetousness, he does (V)not let anything escape.
21 Nothing remains [e]for him to devour;
Therefore (W)his prosperity does not endure.
22 In the fullness of his plenty he will be confined;
The (X)hand of everyone who is troubled will come against him.
23 So it will be that he (Y)fills his belly,
And God will send His burning anger on him
And will (Z)rain it on him [f]while he is eating.
24 He may (AA)flee from the iron weapon,
But the bronze bow will pierce him.
25 It is drawn forth and comes out of his back,
Even the glittering point from (AB)his gall;
(AC)Bouts of dread come upon him.
26 Complete (AD)darkness is held in reserve for his treasures;
A (AE)fire unfanned will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
27 The (AF)heavens will reveal his iniquity,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 The (AG)increase of his house will depart;
His possessions will flow away (AH)in the day of His anger.
29 This is the wicked man’s (AI)portion from God,
Even the inheritance decreed to him by God.”
Job 20
Common English Bible
Traditional belief
20 Zophar from Naamah said:
2 Therefore, my troubled thoughts make me turn back—
because of my inner turmoil.
3 I hear teaching that insults me,
but I am forced to answer based on my own understanding.[a]
4 Do you know this from long ago—
from when humans were placed on earth—
5 that the rejoicing of the wicked is short,
the joy of the godless, brief?
6 Though their height reaches heaven
and their heads touch the clouds,
7 they will perish forever like their dung;
those who saw them will say, “Where are they?”
8 They will disappear like a dream,
and none will find them,
carried away like a nighttime vision.
9 The eye that saw them will do so no more;
they won’t be seen again at home.
10 Their children will repay the poor;
their hands will give back their wealth.
11 Vigor filled their bones
and now sleeps with them in the dust.
12 Though wickedness is sweet in their mouths,
they hide it under their tongues;
13 they like it, won’t let it go;
they hold it in their cheeks.
14 Food turns their stomachs,
becoming a cobra’s poison inside.
15 They swallow wealth and vomit it;
God dislodges it from their belly.
16 They suck cobra’s poison;
a viper’s tongue kills them.
17 They won’t experience streams,
rivers of honey, and brooks of cream.
18 They won’t receive the reward for their labor;
they won’t enjoy the wealth from their business.
19 They crushed and abandoned the poor;
stole a house they didn’t build;
20 didn’t know contentment in their belly;
couldn’t escape with their treasure.
21 Nothing remained of their food,
so their riches will not endure.
22 Even in their plenty, they are hard-pressed;
all sorts of trouble come on them.
23 Let God[b] fill their belly,
unleash his burning anger on them,
rain punishing blows on them.
24 If they flee an iron weapon,
a bronze bow pierces them.
25 They pull it out, but it sticks out from their backs;
its shaft in their liver brings terror.
26 Complete darkness waits for their treasured possessions;
fire that no one stoked consumes them;
what’s left in their tent is ruined.
27 Heaven exposes their guilt;
earth opposes them.
28 Their household wealth will be carried off
by rushing streams on the day of his anger.
29 This is a wicked person’s lot from God,
their heritage decreed by God.
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