Job 20

Wycliffe Bible

20 And then Zophar (the) Naamathite answered, and said,

² Therefore my thoughts diverse come one after another; and the mind is ravished into diverse things. (And so now my thoughts come diversely one after another; and my mind thinketh on many different things.)

³ I shall hear the teaching, by which thou reprovest me; and the spirit of mine understanding shall answer me. (I have heard the words, with which thou rebukest me; and the spirit of my understanding hath given me an answer.)

⁴ I know this from the beginning, since man was set on [the] earth, (Certainly thou knowest this from the beginning, since man was put on the earth,)

⁵ that the praising of wicked men is short(-lived), and the joy of an hypocrite is at the likeness of a point soon passing (away).

⁶ Though his pride go up into (the) heaven(s), and his head toucheth the clouds,

⁷ he shall be lost in the end, as a dunghill; and, they that have seen him, shall say, Where is he? (he shall be discarded in the end, like his own dung; and then they who have seen him, shall say, Where is he?)

⁸ As a dream flying away, or soon forgotten, he shall not be found; he shall pass as the sight of nights. (Like a dream flying away, or soon forgotten, he shall not be found; he shall pass away like a vision in the night.)

⁹ The eye that saw him shall not see him again; and his place shall no more behold him.

¹⁰ His sons shall be all-broken with neediness; and his hands shall yield to him his sorrow. (His sons shall make recompense to the poor; and with their hands they shall give back their goods to them.)

¹¹ His bones shall be [full-]filled with the vices of his young waxing age; and they shall sleep with him in (the) dust.

¹² For when evil was sweet in his mouth, he hid it under his tongue.

¹³ He shall spare it, and shall not forsake it; and he shall hide it in his throat (and he shall hide it in his mouth).

¹⁴ His bread in his womb shall be turned into the gall of snakes within him.

¹⁵ He shall vomit, or cast, out the riches which he hath devoured; and God shall draw those riches out of his womb.

¹⁶ He shall suck the gall of snakes; and the tongue of an adder shall slay him.

¹⁷ See he not the streams of the flood of the strand, of honey, and of butter. (He shall not see the streams of oil, or of cream, nor the rivers of honey and butter.)

¹⁸ He shall suffer pains for all things which he hath done, nevertheless he shall not be wasted by those pains, but ever endure; and after the multitude of his findings, so shall he suffer (and he shall suffer for the multitude of his deeds).

¹⁹ For he brake, and made naked the house of the poor man; he ravished it, and builded it not. (For he broke into, and emptied out, the house of the poor; and he stole, what he did not build.)

²⁰ And his womb was not yet [ful]filled; and when he hath that, that he coveted, he may not hold it in possession. (And his belly, or his appetite, was not yet satisfied; and even when he hath, what he desired, he cannot hold onto it.)

²¹ There (be) left nothing of his meat; and therefore nothing shall dwell of his goods. (Nothing shall remain of his food; and nothing shall remain of his goods.)

²² When he is full-filled with riches, yet he shall be made strait in covetousness (Yea, even when he is filled full with riches, he shall still be in dire straits); he shall burn in it, and all sorrow shall fall in upon him.

²³ I would, that his womb be filled, that he send out into him the wrath of his strong vengeance, and rain his battle upon him. (I wish, that as his belly is filled, that God send upon him the anger of his strong vengeance, and rain down his battle upon him.)

²⁴ He shall flee iron armours, and he shall fall into a brazen bow. (He shall flee from iron arms, or weapons, and he shall fall by a bronze bow.)

²⁵ Which is led, or taken out of his sheath, or case, and this bow going out, and shining as lightning, shall smite him in bitterness; horrible fears shall go (forth), and come upon him. (Which is taken out of its sheath, or its case, and this bow going out, and shining like lightning, shall strike him in his gall bladder; horrible fears shall go forth, and shall come upon him.)

²⁶ All darknesses (shall) be hid in his privates; fire, which is not tended, shall devour him; he shall be tormented (who is) left in his tabernacle. (All darkness shall be hid in his secret place; a fire, which is not tended, shall devour him; he who is left in his tent, shall be tormented.)

²⁷ Heavens shall show his wickedness; and earth shall rise up (al)together against him. (The heavens shall show his wickedness; and the earth shall altogether rise up against him.)

²⁸ The seed, or generation, of his house shall be open (All that he hath in his house shall be destroyed); it shall be drawn down in the day of the strong vengeance of the Lord.

²⁹ This is the part of a wicked man, which is given to him of God, and the heritage of his words is also of the Lord. (This is the portion for the wicked, which is given to him from God, and his inheritance which is also from the Lord.)