Job 20

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Zophar Answers Job

20 <1> Then Zophar from Naamah answered:

<2> "You upset me, so I must answer you.

I must tell you what I am thinking.

<3> You insulted me with your answers!

But I am wise, I know how to answer you.

<4-5> "You know the joy of evil people does not last long.

That has been true a long time,

from the time Adam was[43] put on earth.

Those who don't care about God

are happy for only a short time.

<6> Maybe an evil man's pride will

reach up to the sky,

and his head will touch the clouds.

<7> But he will be gone forever,

like his own body waste.

People who know him will say,

'Where is he?'

<8> Like a dream, he will fly away

and no one will ever find him.

He will be forced away and forgotten

like a bad dream.[44]

<9> The people who saw him will not see him again.

His family will never look at him again.

<10> His children will give back what he took from the poor,

and his own hands must give back his wealth.

<11> When he was young, his bones were strong.

But, like the rest of his body, they soon will lie in the dirt.

<12> "Evil tastes sweet in the evil man's mouth.

He keeps it under his tongue to enjoy it fully.

<13> He enjoys evil.

He hates to let it go.

It is like a sweet candy

he keeps in his mouth.

<14> But that evil will become poison in his stomach.

It will be like bitter poison inside him,

like a snake's poison.

<15> The evil man has swallowed riches,

but he will vomit them out.

God will make him vomit them out.

<16> It will be as if he drank snake poison,

and that venom from under the snake's tongue will kill him.

<17> Then the evil man will not enjoy

seeing the rivers that flow with honey and cream.

<18> He will be forced

to give back his profits.

He will not be allowed to enjoy what he worked for,

<19> because he hurt the poor and treated them wrong.

He didn't care about them,

and he took their things.

He took houses someone else built.

<20> "The evil man is never satisfied.

His wealth cannot save him.

<21> When he eats, there is nothing left.

His success will not continue.

<22> While he has plenty,

he will become pressed down with trouble.

His problems will come down on him!

<23> If he does get all he wants,

God will throw his burning anger against him.

God will attack him and rain down punishment on him.

<24> Maybe the evil man will run away from an iron sword,

but a bronze arrow[45] will shoot him down.

<25> The bronze arrow will go

all the way through his body,

and stick out from his back.

Its shining point will pierce his liver,

and he will be shocked with terror.

<26> All his treasures will be destroyed.

A fire will destroy him-

a fire that no human started.

The fire will destroy everything left in his house.

<27> Heaven will prove that he is guilty.

The earth will be a witness against him.

<28> Everything in his house will be

carried away in the flood of God's anger.

<29> That is what God will do to evil people.

That is what he plans to give them."