Zophar’s Second Speech

¹  Then¹ Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,

1. Hebrew “And”

² “Therefore my disquieting thoughts bring me back ⌞for the sake of⌟¹ my inward excitement.²

1. Literally “and in because of”
2. Or “my inward haste”

³ I hear discipline that insults me, and a spirit beyond my understanding answers me.

⁴ “Did you¹ know this from of old, since the setting of the human being on earth,

1. Singular

⁵ that the rejoicing of the wicked is ⌞short⌟,¹ and the joy of the godless ⌞lasts only a moment⌟?²

1. Literally “from near”
2. Literally “is until a moment”

⁶ Even though his stature mounts up to the heaven, and his head reaches to the clouds,

⁷ he will perish forever like his dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

⁸ He will fly away like a dream, and they will not find him, and he will be chased away like a vision of the night.

⁹ The eye that saw him ⌞will not see him again⌟,¹ and his place will no longer behold him.

1. Literally “and it will not do again”

¹⁰ His children will seek favors from the poor, and his hands will return his wealth.

¹¹ His bones were full of his vigor, but¹ it will lie down with him on² the dust.

1. Hebrew “and”
2. Or “in”

¹² “Though wickedness tastes sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under his tongue,

¹³ though he spares it and does not let it go and holds it back in the midst of his palate,

¹⁴ in his bowels his food is turned, the venom of horned vipers is ⌞within him⌟.¹

1. Literally “in his entrails”

¹⁵ He swallows riches, but¹ he vomits them² up; God drives them³ out from his stomach.

1. Hebrew “and”
2. Hebrew “it”
3. Hebrew “it”

¹⁶ He will suck the poison of horned vipers; the viper’s tongue will kill him.

¹⁷ ⌞He will not enjoy the streams⌟,¹ the torrents of honey and curds.

1. Literally “He will not look on streams”

¹⁸ Returning the products of his toil, he will not swallow;¹ according to the profit of his trade, ⌞he will not enjoy⌟,²

1. Hebrew “and he will not swallow”
2. Literally “and he will not taste”

¹⁹ for he has oppressed; he has abandoned the poor; he has seized a house but¹ did not build it.

1. Or “and”

²⁰ Because he has not known satisfaction in his stomach, ⌞he lets nothing escape that he desires⌟.¹

1. Literally “in his desire he does not let be saved”

²¹ ⌞There is nothing left after he has eaten⌟;¹ therefore his prosperity will not endure.

1. Literally “There is not a remnant at his eating”

²² In the fullness of his excess ⌞he will be in distress⌟;¹ all of misery’s power will come upon him.

1. Literally “it will be in distress for him”

²³ ⌞When his stomach fills up⌟,¹ God will send ⌞his burning anger⌟² upon him, and he will let it rain down upon him³ as his food.

1. Literally “It will be to fill up his stomach”
2. Literally “the blaze of his nose/anger”
3. Or “them”

²⁴ “He will flee from an iron weapon, but an arrow of bronze will pierce him.

²⁵ He draws it forth, and it comes out from his body, and the glittering point comes from his gall-bladder; terrors come upon him.

²⁶ ⌞Total darkness⌟¹ is hidden for his treasures;² ⌞an unfanned fire⌟³ will devour him; the remnant⁴ ⌞will be consumed⌟⁵ in his tent.

1. Literally “All darkness”
2. Or “His treasures are hidden by total darkness”
3. Literally “a fire not fanned”
4. Of his treasures
5. Literally “will be evil,” or “will be bad”

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

²⁸ The products of his house will be carried away¹ like gushing waters² on the day of his wrath.

1. Or “the produce of his house will go away into exile”
2. Or “by gushing waters”

²⁹ This is a wicked human being’s portion from God and the inheritance of his decree from God.”¹

1. Or “and the inheritance decreed for him by God” (compare ESV, NJPS)