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Job 20

Zophar Says the Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short

¹Then Zophar the Naamathite responded,

²“Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me respond, Even because of my inward agitation.

³“I listened to the reprimand which insults me, And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.

⁴“Do you know this from ancient times, From the establishment of mankind on earth,

⁵That the rejoicing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless momentary?

⁶“Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, And his head touches the clouds,

⁷He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

⁸“He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him; Like a vision of the night he is chased away.

⁹“The eye which saw him sees him no longer, And his place no longer beholds him.

¹⁰“His sons favor the poor, And his hands give back his wealth.

¹¹“His bones are full of his youthful strength, But it lies down with him in the dust.

¹²¶“Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth And he hides it under his tongue,

¹³Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,

¹⁴Yet his food in his stomach is changed To the venom of cobras within him.

¹⁵“He swallows riches, But will vomit them up; God will expel them from his belly.

¹⁶“He sucks the poison of cobras; The viper’s tongue kills him.

¹⁷“He does not look at the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and curds.

¹⁸“He 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 oppressed and neglected the poor; He has seized a house which he has not built.

²⁰¶“Because he knew no quiet within him, He does not retain anything he desires.

²¹“Nothing remains for him to devour, Therefore his prosperity does not endure.

²²“In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.

²³“When he fills his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him And rain it on him while he is eating.

²⁴“He may 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 his gallbladder; Terrors come upon him,

²⁶Complete darkness is held in reserve for his treasures, And unfanned fire will devour him; It will consume the survivor in his tent.

²⁷“The heavens will reveal his guilt, And the earth will rise up against him.

²⁸“The increase of his house will disappear; His possessions will flow away on the day of His anger.

²⁹“This is a wicked person’s portion from God, The inheritance decreed to him by God.”

Job 20 (NASB)

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Job

Chapter 20

20 of 42