Job 20 EASY

1. Then Zophar replied to Job. This is what he said:

2. ‘I am very upset by the things that you have said. So I must say more to answer you.

3. You have said things that insult me. But now I know how to reply to you.

4. I am sure that you know this fact. It has been true from long ago, since people first lived on the earth.

5. You know that a wicked person is only happy for a short time. His joy continues only for a moment.

6. He may think that he is more important than other people. He may be proud of the honour that he receives.

7. But he will disappear for ever, like dung that people throw away. His friends will ask, “Where is he?”

8. He will disappear like a dream that quickly goes away. Nobody can find him any more.

9. People who knew him will never see him again. His family will no longer recognize him.

10. His children will have to give things back to poor people. Those are the valuable things that he took from them.

11. He still had the strength of a young man. But his strength will die with him when he lies in his grave.

12. He enjoys the wicked things that he does. They are like something sweet in his mouth.

13. He continues to enjoy wicked things, like the taste of sweet food that he keeps in his mouth.

14. But those things will become poison that hurts him. Like bitter food that goes into his stomach.

15. Like a person who is sick and loses the food from his stomach, God will cause the wicked person to lose all his riches.

16. He will drink the poison of snakes. A dangerous snake will bite him and it will kill him.

17. He will never enjoy the good things that the earth provides. He will not enjoy the honey and milk which pours out like rivers of water.

18. He will have to give back everything that he owned. He will not enjoy the things that he has worked for.

19. This will happen because he has been cruel to poor people. He has refused to help them. He has taken houses for himself that do not belong to him.

20. He will always want to have more things for himself. He takes anything that he wants to have.

21. Now nothing remains for him to take. So his riches will come to an end.

22. When he has everything that he wants, trouble suddenly comes to him.

23. When he is filling himself with good food, God will punish him. God will be very angry with him. God will attack the wicked person so that he suffers.

24. He may escape from a soldier who has an iron sword. But then a soldier will shoot a bronze arrow into him.

25. He pulls the arrow out of his back. His blood makes its sharp point shine brightly. He is very afraid.

26. All his riches disappear in the dark. God will send a fire to destroy him. It will destroy all his things that remain.

27. The heavens will show that he is guilty. People on earth will speak against him.

28. A flood will destroy his house and everything that he has. That will happen on the day when God punishes people because he is angry with them.

29. That is how God punishes wicked people. God has decided to punish them as they deserve.’