Zophar's Second Speech
Your Words Are Disturbing
1 Zophar from Naamah said:
2 Your words are disturbing;
now I must speak.
3 You have accused
and insulted me,
and reason requires a reply.
4 Since the time of creation,
everyone has known
5 that sinful people are happy
for only a while.
6 Though their pride and power
may reach to the sky,
7 they will disappear like dust,
and those who knew them
will wonder what happened.
8 They will be forgotten
like a dream
9 and vanish from the sight
of family and friends.
10 Their children will have to repay
what the parents took
from the poor.
11 Indeed, the wicked will die
and go to their graves
in the prime of life.
Sinners Love the Taste of Sin
12 Sinners love the taste of sin;
they relish every bite
13 and swallow it slowly.
14 But their food will turn sour
and poison their stomachs.
15 Then God will make them lose
the wealth they gobbled up.
16 They will die from the fangs
of poisonous snakes
17 and never enjoy rivers flowing
with milk and honey.
18 Their hard work will result
in nothing gained,
19 because they cheated the poor
and took their homes.
20 Greedy people want everything
and are never satisfied.
21 But when nothing remains
for them to grab,
they will be nothing.
22 Once they have everything,
distress and despair
will strike them down,
23 and God will make them swallow
his blazing anger.
24 While running from iron spears,
they will be killed
by arrows of bronze,
25 whose shining tips go straight
through their bodies.
They will be trapped by terror,
26 and what they treasure most
will be lost in the dark.
God will send flames
to destroy them in their tents
with all their property.
27 The heavens and the earth
will testify against them,
28 and all their possessions
will be dragged off
when God becomes angry.
29 This is what God has decided
for those who are evil.
1 Ob ge Sofari Namatǁîba ge ǃeream:
2 “Ti ǂâiǂhansens, ǃeream ta nîsa ra ǁgari te;
tita ǃnâ hâ tsâsib ra ǃnoeǃnoe te.
3 Tita ra mîǁgaiǁgai ǃkhâikhomsa ta ge ra ǁnâu,
xaweb ge ti ǁnâuǃāba ǃnā hâ gagaba ra ǃeream kai te.
4 “ǀNai ge īn xats kha ǂan tama hâ,
khoen ge ǃhūbaib ai ǂnubihe ǁaeba xu?
5 ǂKhabadī-ao-i ǃgâiaǂgaob ge ǂkhari ǁaero-i di,
eloxoresa-i ǁkhoaxasib ge ǁaero-i dis ǀguisa ī.
6 ǁÎ-i di ǂnīsasib ga ǀhommi kōse sī
tsî ǁî-i danasa ǃâude tsâǀkhā xawe;
7 ǁî-i ge ǀamosib kōse, ǁî-i ǂû-i xau-i khami nî kā.
ǁÎ-e ge ǂan i khoen ge nî ǂhâ,
mâpa i ge ǁî-e bē ǃkhaisa.
8 ǁÎ-i ge ǁhapo-i khami nî bē tsî hōhe tide;
ai-īsi-i tsuxub ǃnâ ra mûhe-i khami i ge nî kā.
9 ǁÎ-e gere mû mûs ge ǃaruǀî ǁî-e mû tide,
tamas ka io, ǁî-i ǃkhais ge ǃaruǀî ǁî-e ǂan tide.
10 ǁÎ-i ôan ge ǀgâsana nî mādawa-am;
ǁî-i ǂû-i ǃomkha ǀkha i ge ǁî-i ǃkhūsiba nî mā-oa.
11 ǁÎ-i ǂkhōgu ge ǂkham tsî a ǀgaisa,
xawe ǀhobas ǃnâ ǁî-i ǀkha nî tsara kai.
12 “ǂKhabab ga ǁî-i ams ǃnâ ǂkhonse ǁkhoa
tsî-i ga ǁnā ǁkhoaba, ǁî-i nammi ǃnaka sâu;
13 o i ge ǂaraǂui tamase,
amǃnâs â-i ǃnâ ūǀgara hâ.
14 Xawe ǁî-i ǃnāb ǃnâ hâ ǂû-i ge nî ǃkhurisen
tsî ǀaob ǃgā-i khami ra ǃgāxa.
15 ǃKhūsib hîa i ge haraǂgāba i ge ǁkhawa ra ǀkhûiǂui;
Elob ge ǁî-i di ǁkhomsa xu ra ūǂui kai.
16 ǁÎ-i ge ǃgāxa ǀao-i ǃgāba nî ǀkhubuǂgā;
ǃgāxa ǀao-i xa nâhe hâ khami i ge nî ǁō.
17 Dâu ra ǁgamǃāga i ge mû tide;
ǃāgu danib tsî ǃaopeb tsîn xa ra dâuga.
18 ǁÎ-i ǀhupuba xu i ge ǃora ǂûna i ge ǂû tamase nî mā-oa;
ǁî-i ǂharugub di hōǂgāsa i ge ǀama tide.
19 ǁÎ-i ge ǀgâsana dāǃgâ, ǁnāxūǃgâ
tsî aitsama i om tama omde ǁgūǀhana xui-ao.
20 ǁÎ-i xūǃgunuxasib ge ǀam-e ūhâ tama hâ;
ǁî-i ǀguriǂâibasensa xu i ge ǃnora ǁoa.
21 ǂÛs khaoǃgâ i ge xū-e ǃgau tama hâ;
ǁnā-amagab ge ǁî-i ǃgâiǃgâba aiǃgû tide.
22 ǁÎ-i ge ǃkhūsiba i ǃnāǂamsase ūhâ,
xawe sâoǃnâse nî hâ;
ǂōǂōsib ge hoaraga ǁkhāsib ǀkha ǁî-e nî hāǂam.
23 ǁÎ-i ra ǁkhoms â-e ǀoaǀoa,
hîab ge Elob ǁaiba ǁî-i ai ǁnâ
tsî ǁîb ǁaib di ǃnabaga ǁî-i ai nî ǀapi kai.
24 ǁÎ-i ge ǀuri ǁâtanisa xu nî ǃhū;
brons ǂā-i ge ǁî-e nî ǁhâiǃkharuǃnâ.
25 ǁÎ-i soros ǃnâ-u i ge ra ǃkhāǃkharu,
ǁhâigôab ams ra tsabab âb xa ǂkhai
tsî i ǁî-e ǁōb ǃaob xa ra gaoǂamhe.
26 ǁÎ-i ǃkhūsib ra kai ǃkhaenab xa ǃgū-aihe;
ǁhabuhe tama ǀaes ge ǁî-e nî ǂhubiǂui
tsî ǁî-i tentoms ǃnâ ǃgau hân hoana nî hapu.
27 ǀHommi ge ǁî-i dīsādi hoade nî ǂhaiǂhai
tsîb ge ǃhūbaib hoaba ǁî-i ǃoagu nî khâi.
28 Kai ǁgammi dâus ge ǁî-i tentomsa nî dâubē,
ǀgaisa ǃhae ǁgamga Elob ǁaib tsēs ai.
29 “Nēs ge ǂkhabadī-aon Elob xa nî ǁkharahe ǀgausa;
Elob ǃoagu ra khâin ǂhomibahe hâ ǃâb ge nēba.”
