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Zophar Says, “The Triumph of the Wicked Is Short”

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,


“Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me answer,
Because of the uneasiness that is within me.

“I have heard the reproof which insults me,
But the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.

“Do you not know this from the old days,
Since the time that man was placed on the earth,

That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless is only for a moment?(A)

“Though his pride reaches the heavens
And his head touches the clouds,

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

“He flies away like a dream and cannot be found;
Yes, he is chased away like a vision of the night.

“The eye which saw him sees him no longer,
Neither does his [accustomed] place behold him any longer.
10 
“His sons favor the poor [and pay his obligations],
And his hands give back his [ill-gotten] wealth.
11 
“His bones are full of youthful strength
But it lies down with him in the dust.

12 
“Though evil and wickedness are sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
13 
Though he desires it and will not let it go
But holds it in his mouth,
14 
Yet his food turns [to poison] in his stomach;
It is the venom of vipers within him.
15 
“He swallows [his ill-gotten] riches,
But will vomit them up;
God will drive them out of his belly.
16 
“He sucks the poison of vipers [which ill-gotten wealth contains];
The viper’s tongue slays him.
17 
“He does not look at the rivers,
The flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth].
18 
“He gives back what he has labored for and attained
And cannot swallow it [down to enjoy it];
As to the riches of his labor,
He cannot even enjoy them.
19 
“For he has oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has violently taken away houses which he did not build.

20 
“Because he knew no quietness or calm within him [because of his greed],
He does not retain anything he desires.
21 
“There is nothing left of what he devoured;
Therefore his prosperity does not endure.
22 
“In the fullness of his excess (great abundance) he will be in trouble;
The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him [he is miserable on every side].
23 
“When he fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And will rain it upon him while he is eating.(B)
24 
“He may flee from the iron weapon,
But the bow of bronze will pierce him through.
25 
The arrow is drawn forth and it comes out of his back [after passing through his body];
Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall.
Terrors march in upon him;
26 
Complete darkness (misfortune) is held in reserve for his treasures.
An unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
27 
“The heavens will reveal his wickedness and guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28 
“The produce and increase of his house will depart [with the victors];
His possessions will be dragged away in the day of God’s wrath.
29 
“This is the wicked man’s portion from God,
And the heritage decreed and appointed to him by God.”

Job’s Dialogue Regarding the Wicked

21 Then Job answered and said,


“Listen carefully to my speech,
And let this be the consolation.

“Bear with me, and I also will speak;
And after I have spoken, you may [continue to] mock [me].

“As for me, is my complaint to man or about him?
And why should I not be impatient and my spirit troubled?

“Look at me and be astonished and appalled;
And put your hand over your mouth.

“Even when I remember, I am troubled and afraid;
Horror and trembling take hold of my flesh.

“Why do the wicked still live,
Become old, and become mighty in power?

“Their children and descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.

“Their houses are safe from fear;
And the rod of God is not on them.
10 
“His bull breeds and does not fail;
His cow calves and does not miscarry.
11 
“They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children skip about.
12 
“They lift up their voices and sing to the tambourine and the lyre
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
13 
“They fully enjoy their days in prosperity,
And so go down to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) in a [peaceful] moment.
14 
“Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
15 
‘Who [and what] is [a]the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And what would we gain if we plead with Him?’(C)
16 
But notice, the prosperity of the wicked is not in their hand (in their power);
The counsel of the wicked [and the mystery of God’s dealings with the ungodly] is far from my comprehension.

17 
“How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out,
And that their disaster falls on them?
Does God distribute pain and destruction and sorrow [to them] in His anger?(D)
18 
“Are they like straw before the wind,
And like chaff that the storm steals and carries away?
19 
You say, ‘God stores away [the punishment of] man’s wickedness for his children.’
Let God repay him so that he may know and experience it.
20 
“Let his own eyes see his destruction,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
21 
“For what pleasure does he have in his house and family after he is dead,
When the number of his months [of life] is cut off?
22 
“Can anyone teach God knowledge,
Seeing that He judges those on high?(E)
23 
“One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and quiet and satisfied;
24 
His pails are full of milk [his sides are filled out with fat],
And the marrow of his bones is moist,
25 
Whereas another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting pleasure or good fortune.
26 
“Together they lie down in the dust,
And the worms cover them.

27 
“Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plots by which you would wrong me.
28 
“For you say, ‘Where is the house of the noble man?
And where is the tent, the dwelling place of the wicked?’
29 
“Have you not asked those who travel this way,
And do you not recognize their witness?
30 
“That evil men are [now] reserved for the day of disaster and destruction,
They will be led away on the day of [God’s] wrath?
31 
But who will confront him with his actions and rebuke him face to face,
And who will repay him for what he has done?
32 
“When he is carried to his grave,
A guard will keep watch over his tomb.
33 
“The [dirt] clods of the valley are sweet to him [and gently cover him],
Moreover, all men will follow after him [to a grave],
While countless ones go before him.
34 
“How then can you vainly comfort me with empty words,
Since your answers remain untrue?”

Footnotes

  1. Job 21:15 Heb Shaddai, also v 20.

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