Jó 20
Så tog Na'amatiten Zofar til Orde og sagde
til min Skam må jeg høre på Tugt, får tankeløst Mundsvejr til Svar!
Ved du da ikke fra Arilds Tid, fra Tiden, da Mennesket sattes på Jorden,
at gudløses Jubel er kort og vanhelliges Glæde stakket?
Steg end hans Hovmod til Himlen, raged hans Hoved i Sky,
Han flyr som en Drøm, man finder ham ikke, som et Nattesyn jages han bort;
Øjet, der så ham, ser ham ej mer, hans Sted får ham aldrig at se igen.
Hans Sønner bejler til ringes Yndest, hans Hænder må give hans Gods tilbage.
Hans Ben var fulde af Ungdomskraft, men den lægger sig med ham i Støvet.
Er det onde end sødt i hans Mund, når han gemmer det under sin Tunge,
sparer på det og slipper det ikke, holder det fast til sin Gane,
så bliver dog Maden i hans Indre til Slangegift inden i ham;
Godset, han slugte, må han spy ud, Gud driver det ud af hans Bug,
han indsuger Slangernes Gift, og Øgleungen slår ham ihjel;
han skuer ej Strømme af Olie, Bække af Honning og Fløde;
han må af med sin Vinding, svælger den ej, får ingen Glæde af tilbyttet Gods.
Thi han knuste de ringe og lod dem ligge, ranede Huse, han ej havde bygget.
Thi han har ingen Hjælp af sin Rigdom, trods sine Skatte reddes han ikke;
ingen gik fri for hans Glubskhed, derfor varer hans Lykke ikke;
midt i sin Overflod har han det trangt, al Slags Nød kommer over ham.
For at fylde hans Bug sender Gud sin Vredes Glød imod ham, lader sin Harme regne på ham.
Flyr han for Brynje af Jern, så gennemborer ham Kobberbuen;
en Kni kommer ud af hans Ryg, et lynende Stål af hans Galde; over ham falder Rædsler,
idel Mørke er opsparet til ham; Ild, der ej blæses op, fortærer ham, æder Levningen i hans Telt.
Himlen bringer hans Brøde for Lyset, og Jorden rejser sig mod ham.
Hans Huses Vinding må bort, rives bort på Guds Vredes Dag.
Slig er den gudløses Lod fra Gud og Lønnen fra Gud for hans Brøde!
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for {this} I make haste. {I make...: Heb. my haste is in me}
I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.
Knowest thou {not} this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
That the triumphing of the wicked {is} short, and the joy of the hypocrite {but} for a moment? {short: Heb. from near}
Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; {clouds: Heb. cloud}
{Yet} he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where {is} he?
He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
The eye also {which} saw him shall {see him} no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.
His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods. {His children...: or, The poor shall oppress his children}
His bones are full {of the sin} of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.
Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, {though} he hide it under his tongue;
{Though} he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth: {within...: Heb. in the midst of his palate}
{Yet} his meat in his bowels is turned, {it is} the gall of asps within him.
He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.
He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him.
He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter. {the floods...: or, streaming brooks}
That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow {it} down: according to {his} substance {shall} the restitution {be}, and he shall not rejoice {therein}. {his...: Heb. the substance of his exchange}
Because he hath oppressed {and} hath forsaken the poor; {because} he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not; {oppressed: Heb. crushed}
Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired. {feel: Heb. know}
There shall none of his meat be left; therefore shall no man look for his goods. {none...: or, be none left for his meat}
In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him. {wicked: or, troublesome}
{When} he is about to fill his belly, {God} shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain {it} upon him while he is eating.
He shall flee from the iron weapon, {and} the bow of steel shall strike him through.
It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors {are} upon him.
All darkness {shall be} hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.
The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him.
The increase of his house shall depart, {and his goods} shall flow away in the day of his wrath.
This {is} the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God. {appointed...: Heb. of his decree from God}