1 וַיַּעַן צֹפַר הַנַּעֲמָתִי וַיֹּאמַר | 1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered by saying: |
2 לָכֵן שְׂעִפַּי יְשִׁיבוּנִי וּבַעֲבוּר חוּשִׁי בִי | 2 In response, various thoughts succeed one another in me, and my mind moves quickly through different ideas. |
3 מוּסַר כְּלִמָּתִי אֶשְׁמָע וְרוּחַ מִבִּינָתִי יַעֲנֵנִי | 3 The teaching you use to admonish me, I will hear, and the spirit of my understanding will respond for me. |
4 הֲזֹאת יָדַעְתָּ מִנִּי־עַד מִנִּי שִׂים אָדָם עֲלֵי־אָרֶץ | 4 This, I know, is from the beginning, from the time that man was set over the earth: |
5 כִּי רִנְנַת רְשָׁעִים מִקָּרֹוב וְשִׂמְחַת חָנֵף עֲדֵי־רָגַע | 5 that the praise of the impious shall be short, and the joy of the hypocrite lasts only a moment. |
6 אִם־יַעֲלֶה לַשָּׁמַיִם שִׂיאֹו וְרֹאשֹׁו לָעָב יַגִּיעַ | 6 If his pride ascends even towards the heavens, and his head touches the clouds, |
7 כְּגֶלֲלֹו לָנֶצַח יֹאבֵד רֹאָיו יֹאמְרוּ אַיֹּו | 7 in the end, he will be destroyed like a trash heap, and those who had seen him will say: “Where is he?” |
8 כַּחֲלֹום יָעוּף וְלֹא יִמְצָאוּהוּ וְיֻדַּד כְּחֶזְיֹון לָיְלָה | 8 Like a dream that flies away, he will not be found; he will pass away like a nightmare. |
9 עַיִן זָפַתּוּ וְלֹא תֹוסִיף וְלֹא־עֹוד תְּשׁוּרֶנּוּ מְקֹומֹו | 9 The eyes that had seen him, will not see him; no longer will his own place admire him. |
10 בָּנָיו יְרַצּוּ דַלִּים וְיָדָיו תָּשֵׁבְנָה אֹונֹו | 10 His sons will be worn away by poverty, and his own hands will deliver his grief to him. |
11 עַצְמֹותָיו מָלְאוּ [עֲלוּמֹו כ] (עֲלוּמָיו ק) וְעִמֹּו עַל־עָפָר תִּשְׁכָּב | 11 His bones will be filled with the vices of his youth, and they will sleep with him in the dust. |
12 אִם־תַּמְתִּיק בְּפִיו רָעָה יַכְחִידֶנָּה תַּחַת לְשֹׁונֹו | 12 For, when evil will be sweet in his mouth, he will hide it under his tongue. |
13 יַחְמֹל עָלֶיהָ וְלֹא יַעַזְבֶנָּה וְיִמְנָעֶנָּה בְּתֹוךְ חִכֹּו | 13 He will permit it, and not abandon it, and he will conceal it in his throat. |
14 לַחְמֹו בְּמֵעָיו נֶהְפָּךְ מְרֹורַת פְּתָנִים בְּקִרְבֹּו | 14 His bread in his belly will be turned into the venom of snakes within him. |
15 חַיִל בָּלַע וַיְקִאֶנּוּ מִבִּטְנֹו יֹורִשֶׁנּוּ אֵל | 15 The riches that he devours, he will vomit up, and from his stomach God will draw them out. |
16 רֹאשׁ־פְּתָנִים יִינָק תַּהַרְגֵהוּ לְשֹׁון אֶפְעֶה | 16 He will suck the head of snakes, and the tongue of the viper will kill him. |
17 אַל־יֵרֶא בִפְלַגֹּות נַהֲרֵי נַחֲלֵי דְּבַשׁ וְחֶמְאָה | 17 (May he never see the streams of the river, the torrents of honey and butter.) |
18 מֵשִׁיב יָגָע וְלֹא יִבְלָע כְּחֵיל תְּמוּרָתֹו וְלֹא יַעֲלֹס | 18 He will be repaid for all he has done, yet he will not be consumed; according to the multitude of his schemes, so also will he suffer. |
19 כִּי־רִצַּץ עָזַב דַּלִּים בַּיִת גָּזַל וְלֹא יִבֶנֵהוּ | 19 For, having broken in, he stripped the poor. He has quickly stolen away a house he did not build. |
20 כִּי ׀ לֹא־יָדַע שָׁלֵו בְּבִטְנֹו בַּחֲמוּדֹו לֹא יְמַלֵּט | 20 And yet his stomach will not be satisfied, and when he has the things he desires, he will not be able to possess them. |
21 אֵין־שָׂרִיד לְאָכְלֹו עַל־כֵּן לֹא־יָחִיל טוּבֹו | 21 Nothing remained of his portion, and, because of this, nothing will continue of his kind. |
22 בִּמְלֹאות פְקֹו יֵצֶר לֹו כָּל־יַד עָמֵל תְּבֹואֶנּוּ | 22 When he will be satisfied, he will be constrained; he will seethe, and all anguish will fall upon him. |
23 יְהִי ׀ לְמַלֵּא בִטְנֹו יְשַׁלַּח־בֹּו חֲרֹון אַפֹּו וְיַמְטֵר עָלֵימֹו בִּלְחוּמֹו | 23 May his stomach be filled, so that God may send forth the fury of his wrath to him and may rain down his battle upon him. |
24 יִבְרַח מִנֵּשֶׁק בַּרְזֶל תַּחְלְפֵהוּ קֶשֶׁת נְחוּשָׁה | 24 He will flee from weapons of iron, and he will fall in an arc of brass, |
25 שָׁלַף וַיֵּצֵא מִגֵּוָה וּבָרָק מִמְּרֹרָתֹו יַהֲלֹךְ עָלָיו אֵמִים | 25 which had been drawn and had issued forth from its sheath, glittering in its bitterness: the horrible ones will go forth and approach over him. |
26 כָּל־חֹשֶׁךְ טָמוּן לִצְפּוּנָיו תְּאָכְלֵהוּ אֵשׁ לֹא־נֻפָּח יֵרַע שָׂרִיד בְּאָהֳלֹו | 26 All darkness has been hidden in his secrecy. A fire that has not been set will devour him; he will be thrown down and forsaken in his tabernacle. |
27 יְגַלּוּ שָׁמַיִם עֲוֹנֹו וְאֶרֶץ מִתְקֹומָמָה לֹו | 27 The heavens will reveal his sinfulness, and the earth will rise up against him. |
28 יִגֶל יְבוּל בֵּיתֹו נִגָּרֹות בְּיֹום אַפֹּו | 28 The offspring of his house will be exposed; he will be pulled down in the day of God’s wrath. |
29 זֶה ׀ חֵלֶק־אָדָם רָשָׁע מֵאֱלֹהִים וְנַחֲלַת אִמְרֹו מֵאֵל׃ פ | 29 This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the inheritance of his words from the Lord. |