20 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.”