1 Zophar from Naamah* said:

2 Your words are disturbing;

now I must speak.

3 You have accused

and insulted me,

and reason requires a reply.

4 Since the time of creation,

everyone has known

5 that sinful people are happy

for only a while.

6 Though their pride and power

may reach to the sky,

7 they will disappear like dust,

and those who knew them

will wonder what happened.

8 * They will be forgotten

like a dream

9 and vanish from the sight

of family and friends.

10 Their children will have to repay

what the parents took

from the poor.

11 Indeed, the wicked will die

and go to their graves

in the prime of life.

12 Sinners love the taste of sin;

they relish every bite

13 and swallow it slowly.

14 But their food will turn sour

and poison their stomachs.

15 Then God will make them lose

the wealth they gobbled up.

16 They will die from the fangs

of poisonous snakes

17 and never enjoy rivers flowing

with milk and honey.

18 Their hard work will result

in nothing gained,

19 because they cheated the poor

and took their homes.

20 Greedy people want everything

and are never satisfied.*

21 But when nothing remains

for them to grab,

they will be nothing.

22 Once they have everything,

distress and despair

will strike them down,

23 and God will make them swallow

his blazing anger.*

24 * While running from iron spears,

they will be killed

by arrows of bronze,

25 whose shining tips go straight

through their bodies.

They will be trapped by terror,

26 and what they treasure most

will be lost in the dark.

God will send flames

to destroy them in their tents

with all their property.

27 The heavens and the earth

will testify against them,

28 and all their possessions

will be dragged off

when God becomes angry.

29 This is what God has decided

for those who are evil.