“The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, And numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless.
“Sounds of terror are in his ears; While at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
“He does not believe that he will return from darkness, And he is destined for the sword.
“Distress and anguish terrify him, They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
Because he has stretched out his hand against God And conducts himself arrogantly against the Almighty.
“He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his grain will not bend down to the ground.
“He will not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his shoots, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away.
“He will drop off his unripe grape like the vine, And will cast off his flower like the olive tree.
“For the company of the godless is barren, And fire consumes the tents of the corrupt.
“I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.
“They have gaped at me with their mouth, They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt; They have massed themselves against me.
“God hands me over to ruffians And tosses me into the hands of the wicked.
“I was at ease, but He shattered me, And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target.
“His arrows surround me. Without mercy He splits my kidneys open; He pours out my gall on the ground.
“I have sewed sackcloth over my skin And thrust my horn in the dust.
“For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return.
“My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me.
“He who informs against friends for a share of the spoil, The eyes of his children also will languish.
“But He has made me a byword of the people, And I am one at whom men spit.
“The upright will be appalled at this, And the innocent will stir up himself against the godless.
“Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way, And he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger.
“My days are past, my plans are torn apart, Even the wishes of my heart.
“They make night into day, saying, ‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
“If I look for Sheol as my home, I make my bed in the darkness;
If I call to the pit, ‘You are my father’; To the worm, ‘my mother and my sister’;
“Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?”
Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
“O you who tear yourself in your anger-- For your sake is the earth to be abandoned, Or the rock to be moved from its place?
“Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out, And the flame of his fire gives no light.
“The light in his tent is darkened, And his lamp goes out above him.
“For he is thrown into the net by his own feet, And he steps on the webbing.
“A snare seizes him by the heel, And a trap snaps shut on him.
“A noose for him is hidden in the ground, And a trap for him on the path.
“His skin is devoured by disease, The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
“He is torn from the security of his tent, And they march him before the king of terrors.
“Memory of him perishes from the earth, And he has no name abroad.
“He is driven from light into darkness, And chased from the inhabited world.
“Those in the west are appalled at his fate, And those in the east are seized with horror.
“Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
“He has stripped my honor from me And removed the crown from my head.
“My bone clings to my skin and my flesh, And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
“Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, For the hand of God has struck me.
“That with an iron stylus and lead They were engraved in the rock forever!
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
“Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves, For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, So that you may know there is judgment.”
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,
“I listened to the reproof which insults me, And the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
“Do you know this from of old, From the establishment of man on earth,
That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless momentary?
“Though his loftiness reaches the heavens, And his head touches the clouds,
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
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