1 Y RESPONDIO Sophar Naamathita, y dijo:
2 Por cierto mis pensamientos me hacen responder, Y por tanto me apresuro.
3 La reprensión de mi censura he oído, Y háceme responder el espíritu de mi inteligencia.
4 ¿No sabes esto que fué siempre, Desde el tiempo que fué puesto el hombre sobre la tierra,
5 Que la alegría de los impíos es breve, Y el gozo del hipócrita por un momento?
6 Si subiere su altivez hasta el cielo, Y su cabeza tocare en las nubes,
7 Con su estiércol perecerá para siempre: Los que le hubieren visto, dirán: ¿Qué es de él?
8 Como sueño volará, y no será hallado: Y disiparáse como visión nocturna.
9 El ojo que le habrá visto, nunca más le verá; Ni su lugar le echará más de ver.
10 Sus hijos pobres andarán rogando; Y sus manos tornarán lo que él robó.
11 Sus huesos están llenos de sus mocedades, Y con él serán sepultados en el polvo.
12 Si el mal se endulzó en su boca, Si lo ocultaba debajo de su lengua;
13 Si le parecía bien, y no lo dejaba, Mas antes lo detenía entre su paladar;
14 Su comida se mudará en sus entrañas, Hiel de áspides será dentro de él.
15 Devoró riquezas, mas vomitarálas; De su vientre las sacará Dios.
16 Veneno de áspides chupará; Matarálo lengua de víbora.
17 No verá los arroyos, los ríos, Los torrentes de miel y de manteca.
18 Restituirá el trabajo conforme á la hacienda que tomó; Y no tragará, ni gozará.
19 Por cuanto quebrantó y desamparó á los pobres, Robó casas, y no las edificó;
20 Por tanto, no sentirá él sosiego en su vientre, Ni salvará nada de lo que codiciaba.
21 No quedó nada que no comiese: Por tanto su bien no será durable.
22 Cuando fuere lleno su bastimento, tendrá angustia: Las manos todas de los malvados vendrán sobre él.
23 Cuando se pusiere á henchir su vientre, Dios enviará sobre él el furor de su ira, Y harála llover sobre él y sobre su comida.
24 Huirá de las armas de hierro, Y el arco de acero le atravesará.
25 Desenvainará y sacará saeta de su aljaba, Y relumbrante pasará por su hiel: Sobre él vendrán terrores.
26 Todas tinieblas están guardadas para sus secretos: Fuego no soplado lo devorará; Su sucesor será quebrantado en su tienda.
27 Los cielos descubrirán su iniquidad, Y la tierra se levantará contra él.
28 Los renuevos de su casa serán trasportados; Serán derramados en el día de su furor.
29 Esta es la parte que Dios apareja al hombre impío, Y la heredad que Dios le señala por su palabra.
1 And Zophar the Naamathite answereth and saith: --
2 Therefore my thoughts cause me to answer, And because of my sensations in me.
3 The chastisement of my shame I hear, And the spirit of mine understanding Doth cause me to answer:
4 This hast thou known from antiquity? Since the placing of man on earth?
5 That the singing of the wicked [is] short, And the joy of the profane for a moment,
6 Though his excellency go up to the heavens, And his head against a cloud he strike --
7 As his own dung for ever he doth perish, His beholders say: `Where [is] he?`
8 As a dream he fleeth, and they find him not, And he is driven away as a vision of the night,
9 The eye hath not seen him, and addeth not. And not again doth his place behold him.
10 His sons do the poor oppress, And his hands give back his wealth.
11 His bones have been full of his youth, And with him on the dust it lieth down.
12 Though he doth sweeten evil in his mouth, Doth hide it under his tongue,
13 Hath pity on it, and doth not forsake it, And keep it back in the midst of his palate,
14 His food in his bowels is turned, The bitterness of asps [is] in his heart.
15 Wealth he hath swallowed, and doth vomit it. From his belly God driveth it out.
16 Gall of asps he sucketh, Slay him doth the tongue of a viper.
17 He looketh not on rivulets, Flowing of brooks of honey and butter.
18 He is giving back [what] he laboured for, And doth not consume [it]; As a bulwark [is] his exchange, and he exults not.
19 For he oppressed -- he forsook the poor, A house he hath taken violently away, And he doth not build it.
20 For he hath not known ease in his belly. With his desirable thing he delivereth not himself.
21 There is not a remnant to his food, Therefore his good doth not stay.
22 In the fulness of his sufficiency he is straitened. Every perverse hand doth meet him.
23 It cometh to pass, at the filling of his belly, He sendeth forth against him The fierceness of His anger, Yea, He raineth on him in his eating.
24 He fleeth from an iron weapon, Pass through him doth a bow of brass.
25 One hath drawn, And it cometh out from the body, And a glittering weapon from his gall proceedeth. On him [are] terrors.
26 All darkness is hid for his treasures, Consume him doth a fire not blown, Broken is the remnant in his tent.
27 Reveal do the heavens his iniquity, And earth is raising itself against him.
28 Remove doth the increase of his house, Poured forth in a day of His anger.
29 This [is] the portion of a wicked man from God. And an inheritance appointed him by God.