12 “Though (A)evil tastes sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 Though he [a]desires it and will not let it go,
But holds it (B)in his [b]mouth,
14 Yet his food in his stomach is changed
To the [c]venom of cobras within him.
15 He swallows riches,
But will (C)vomit them up;
God will expel them from his belly.
16 He sucks (D)the poison of cobras;
The viper’s tongue kills him.
17 He does not look at (E)the streams,
The rivers flowing with honey and curds.
18 He (F)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 (G)oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has seized a house which he has not built.

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Footnotes

  1. Job 20:13 Lit spares it
  2. Job 20:13 Lit palate
  3. Job 20:14 Lit gall

12 Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth,
    though he conceals it under his tongue,
13 though he savors it and delays swallowing it
    so he can taste it again and again in his mouth,[a]
14 his food will turn rancid in his stomach—
    it will become a cobra’s poison inside him.

15 “Though he swallows wealth, he will vomit it;
    God will dislodge it from his stomach.
16 He will suck the poison of cobras;
    the fangs[b] of a viper will slay him.
17 He won’t look at the rivers—
    the torrents of honey and curd.[c]

18 “He will restore what he has attained from his work
    and won’t consume it;
        he won’t enjoy the profits from his business transactions,
19 because he has crushed and abandoned the poor;
    he has seized a house that he didn’t build.

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Footnotes

  1. Job 20:13 Lit. can hold it in the middle of his palate
  2. Job 20:16 Or tongue
  3. Job 20:17 Or butter