Job 20 - EasyEnglish Bible 2024（EASY）

Chapter 20Zophar speaks to Job again

1Then 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.

3You have said things that insult me.

But now I know how to reply to you.

4I am sure that you know this fact.

It has been true from long ago,

since people first lived on the earth.

5You know that a wicked person is only happy for a short time.

His joy continues only for a moment.

6He may think that he is more important than other people.

He may be proud of the honour that he receives.

7But he will disappear for ever,

like dung that people throw away.

His friends will ask, “Where is he?”

8He will disappear like a dream that quickly goes away.

Nobody can find him any more.

9People who knew him will never see him again.

His family will no longer recognize him.

10His children will have to give things back to poor people.

Those are the valuable things that he took from them.

11He still had the strength of a young man.

But his strength will die with him when he lies in his grave.

12He enjoys the wicked things that he does.

They are like something sweet in his mouth.

13He continues to enjoy wicked things,

like the taste of sweet food that he keeps in his mouth.

14But those things will become poison that hurts him,

like bitter food that goes into his stomach.

15Like a person who is sick and loses the food from his stomach,

God will cause the wicked person to lose all his riches.

16He will drink the poison of snakes.

A dangerous snake will bite him and it will kill him.

17He 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.

18He will have to give back everything that he owned.

He will not enjoy the things that he has worked for.

19This 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.

20He will always want to have more things for himself.

He takes anything that he wants to have.

21Now nothing remains for him to take.

So his riches will come to an end.

22When he has everything that he wants,

trouble suddenly comes to him.

23When 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.

24He may escape from a soldier who has an iron sword.

But then a soldier will shoot a bronze arrow into him.

25He pulls the arrow out of his back.

His blood makes its sharp point shine brightly.

He is very afraid.

26All his riches disappear in the dark.

God will send a fire to destroy him.

It will destroy all his things that remain.

27The heavens will show that he is guilty.

People on earth will speak against him.

28A 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.

29That is how God punishes wicked people.

God has decided to punish them as they deserve.’