Then answered Żofar the Na῾amatite, and said,

Then Tzofar the Na'amathite raised his voice and said:

Therefore my thoughts answer me, even because of my agitation that is in me.

Therefore, my thoughts will make answer for me, for [I have placed] my silence within me.

I have heard the censure which insults me, and the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer.

I hear [from you] the afflictions of my shame [i.e., your shaming of me], and a spirit from my understanding will answer for me.

Knowst thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,

Don't you know this always to have been so, from the time man was put upon the earth —

that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?

that the rejoicing of the wicked is short-lived and the joy of the flatterer but momentary?

Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach the clouds;

Though his height ascends to the heavens and his head reaches the clouds,

yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they who have seen him shall say, Where is he?

he will go lost eternally, like his dung. The beholders [(of his former success)] will say: "Where is he?"

He shall fly away like a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away like a vision of the night.

As a dream he will vanish and they will not find him, and he will depart as a vision of the night.

The eye which saw him shall see him no more; nor shall his place any more behold him.

The eye that has seen him will not continue [to do so], and [the people of] his place will see him no more.

His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall give back that which he has robbed.

His children will conciliate the poor [(whom he has despoiled)] or his [own] hands will return [the plunder of] his strength.

His bones are full of his youth; yet shall it lie down with him in the dust.

His bones are full of [the strength of] his youth, and with him on the dust will it lie [(in his death)].

Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;

[(This is the way of the wicked one:)] If evil [devising] is sweet in his mouth [(and he is prevented from executing it)], he hides it under his tongue.

though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:

He is solicitous of it and will not let it go, and he holds it back in his palate.

yet his food in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.

[(On the day of his downfall)] the food turns around in his stomach — the gall of serpents is within him!

He has swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.

[If] he had swallowed wealth, he will regurgitate it; G d will drive it from his stomach

He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper’s tongue shall slay him.

as it he had sucked the head of serpents. The tongue of an adder will kill him.

He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the streams of honey and curd.

He will not see the streams [of Gan Eden], the flowing rivers of honey and butter.

That which he laboured for he shall restore, and shall not swallow it down: from the riches of his trading he will have no enjoyment.

He will return the toil [of the poor, that he has stolen], and he will not retain it. When his booty reaches its height, [he will be undone and] he will not rejoice [in it].

Because he has oppressed and has forsaken the poor; he has violently taken away a house which he did not build;

After having broken the poor, he left [them] (and was "dispatched" from the world, and they come and claim their property)]. He stole a house, but he will not build [i.e., inhabit] it.

because his greed knew no rest, he will not save anything over of that which he coveted.

Because his stomach knew no peace, [(always desiring more theft to fill it)], therefore, he will not escape with his "embonpoint" [(but will wither away)].

None of his food shall be left; therefore shall his goods not prosper.

He left nothing over from his meal [(for the poor)]; therefore, his good will not prosper.

In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: all the force of misery shall come upon him.

When he attains to the fulfillment of his desire, he will be aggrieved. Every laboring hand [i.e., every poor man whom he robbed] will come against him.

When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him into his flesh.

[His wrath] will be [sufficient] to fill his stomach. He will vent the fury of His wrath upon him, and He will rain down [fire and brimstone] upon him in warring with him.

He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of brass shall strike him through.

When he runs from iron weapons, a copper bow will pierce him through.

It is drawn, and comes out of his body; yea, the glittering blade comes out of his gall: terrors are upon him.

When [the sword] is drawn and it leaves its scabbard, its flash, in its awesomeness, will cast terrors upon him.

Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tent.

All [forms of] darkness are hidden for what lies in store for him. He will be consumed by an unfanned fire [(the fire of Gehinnom)]. Evil will befall what remains in his tent.

The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him.

The heavens will reveal his transgression, and the earth will rise up against him.

The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.

The produce of his house will go lost. [His treasures will be] swept away on the day of His wrath.

This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed to him by God.

This is the portion of the wicked man and the inheritance foretold for him by the Almighty.