[1] The speech of Zophar the Naamathite: [2] "I hasten to reply, for I have the answer for you. [3] You have tried to make me feel ashamed of myself for calling you a sinner, but my spirit won't let me stop. [4] "Don't you realize that ever since man was first placed upon the earth, [5] the triumph of the wicked has been short-lived, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? [6] Though the godless be proud as the heavens and walk with his nose in the air, [7] yet he shall perish forever, cast away like his own dung. Those who knew him will wonder where he has gone. [8] He will fade like a dream. [9] Neither his friends nor his family will ever see him again. [10] "His children shall beg from the poor, their hard labor shall repay his debts. [11] Though still a young man, his bones shall lie in the dust. [12] "He enjoyed the taste of his wickedness, letting it melt in his mouth, [13] sipping it slowly, lest it disappear. [14] "But suddenly the food he has eaten turns sour within him. [15] He will vomit the plunder he gorged. God won't let him keep it down. [16] It is like poison and death to him. [17] He shall not enjoy the goods he stole; they will not be butter and honey to him after all. [18] His labors shall not be rewarded; wealth will give him no joy. [19] For he has oppressed the poor and foreclosed their homes; he will never recover. [20] Though he was always greedy, now he has nothing; of all the things he dreamed of-none remain. [21] Because he stole at every opportunity, his prosperity shall not continue. [22] "He shall run into trouble at the peak of his powers; all the wicked shall destroy him. [23] Just as he is about to fill his belly, God will rain down wrath upon him. [24] He will be chased and struck down. [25] The arrow is pulled from his body-and the glittering point comes out from his gall. The terrors of death are upon him. [26] "His treasures will be lost in deepest darkness. A raging fire will devour his goods, consuming all he has left. [27] The heavens will reveal his sins, and the earth will give testimony against him. [28] His wealth will disappear beneath the wrath of God. [29] This is what awaits the wicked man, for God prepares it for him."
