[1] Then Zophar from Naamah answered:
[2] “Job, you have troubled thoughts. So I must answer you. I must quickly tell you what I am thinking.
[3] You insulted us with your answers! But I am wise, I know how to answer you.
[4] -
[5] “You know an evil person’s joy doesn’t last long. That has been true a long time, from the time Adam was put on earth. A person who doesn’t care about God is happy for only a short time.
[6] Maybe the evil person’s pride will reach up to the sky, and his head will touch the clouds.
[7] But he will be gone forever, like his own body waste. People who know him will say, 'Where is he?’
[8] Like a dream, he will fly away and no one will ever find him. He will be forced away and forgotten like a bad dream.
[9] The people that saw him, won’t see him again. His family will never look at him again.
[10] The evil person’s children will give back what he took from poor people. The evil person’s own hands must give back his wealth.
[11] When he was young his bones were strong, but, like the rest of his body, they soon will lie in the dirt.
[12] “Evil tastes sweet in the bad person’s mouth. He keeps it under his tongue to enjoy it fully.
[13] A bad person enjoys evil. He hates to let it go. It is like a sweet candy he keeps in his mouth.
[14] But that evil will become poison in his stomach. It will be like bitter poison inside him, like a snake’s poison.
[15] The evil man has swallowed riches. But he will vomit them out. God will make the evil person vomit them out.
[16] The evil person’s drink will be like the poison from snakes. The snake’s fangs will kill him.
[17] Then the evil person won’t enjoy seeing the rivers that flow with honey and cream.
[18] The evil person will be forced to give back his profits. He won’t be allowed to enjoy the things he worked for.
[19] Why? Because the evil person hurt poor people and treated them wrong. He didn’t care about them, and he took their things. He took houses someone else built.
[20] “The evil person is never satisfied. His wealth can’t save him.
[21] When he eats, there is nothing left. His success won’t continue.
[22] While the evil person has plenty, he will become pressed down with trouble. His problems will come down on him!
[23] When the evil person has eaten all he wants, God will throw his burning anger against that person. God will rain punishment down on the evil person.
[24] Maybe the evil person will run away from an iron sword. But a bronze arrow will shoot him down.
[25] The bronze arrow will go all the way through his body, and stick out from his back. Its shining point will pierce his liver, and he will be shocked with terror.
[26] All his treasures will be destroyed. A fire will destroy him— A fire that no human started. The fire will destroy everything left in his house.
[27] Heaven will prove that the evil person is guilty. The earth will be a witness against him.
[28] Everything in his house will be carried away in the flood of God’s anger.
[29] That is what God will do to evil people. That is what God plans to give them.”