Zophar's Second Speech
Your Words Are Disturbing
1Zophar from Naamah said:
2Your words are disturbing;
now I must speak.
3You have accused
and insulted me,
and reason requires a reply.
4Since the time of creation,
everyone has known
5that sinful people are happy
for only a while.
6Though their pride and power
may reach to the sky,
7they will disappear like dust,
and those who knew them
will wonder what happened.
8 They will be forgotten
like a dream
9and vanish from the sight
of family and friends.
10Their children will have to repay
what the parents took
from the poor.
11Indeed, the wicked will die
and go to their graves
in the prime of life.
Sinners Love the Taste of Sin
12Sinners love the taste of sin;
they relish every bite
13and swallow it slowly.
14But their food will turn sour
and poison their stomachs.
15Then God will make them lose
the wealth they gobbled up.
16They will die from the fangs
of poisonous snakes
17and never enjoy rivers flowing
with milk and honey.
18Their hard work will result
in nothing gained,
19because they cheated the poor
and took their homes.
20Greedy people want everything
and are never satisfied.
21But when nothing remains
for them to grab,
they will be nothing.
22Once they have everything,
distress and despair
will strike them down,
23and God will make them swallow
his blazing anger.
24 While running from iron spears,
they will be killed
by arrows of bronze,
25whose shining tips go straight
through their bodies.
They will be trapped by terror,
26and what they treasure most
will be lost in the dark.
God will send flames
to destroy them in their tents
with all their property.
27The heavens and the earth
will testify against them,
28and all their possessions
will be dragged off
when God becomes angry.
29This is what God has decided
for those who are evil.