Job 20:12–22

“Though evil is sweet in his mouth,

though he hides it under his tongue,

though he is loath to let it go

and holds it in his mouth,

yet his food is turned in his stomach;

it is the venom of cobras within him.

He swallows down riches and vomits them up again;

God casts them out of his belly.

He will suck the poison of cobras;

the tongue of a viper will kill him.

He will not look upon the rivers,

the streams flowing with honey and curds.

He will give back the fruit of his toil

and will not swallow it down;

from the profit of his trading

he will get no enjoyment.

For he has crushed and abandoned the poor;

he has seized a house that he did not build.

“Because he knew no contentment in his belly,

he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.

There was nothing left after he had eaten;

therefore his prosperity will not endure.

In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress;

the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.

“Though evil is sweet in his mouth

and he hides it under his tongue,

though he cannot bear to let it go

and lets it linger in his mouth,

yet his food will turn sour in his stomach;

it will become the venom of serpents within him.

He will spit out the riches he swallowed;

God will make his stomach vomit them up.

He will suck the poison of serpents;

the fangs of an adder will kill him.

He will not enjoy the streams,

the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

What he toiled for he must give back uneaten;

he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.

For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute;

he has seized houses he did not build.

“Surely he will have no respite from his craving;

he cannot save himself by his treasure.

Nothing is left for him to devour;

his prosperity will not endure.

In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him;

the full force of misery will come upon him.

Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth

and he conceals it under his tongue,

though he cherishes it and will not let it go

but keeps it in his mouth,

yet the food in his stomach turns

into cobras’ venom inside him.

He swallows wealth but must vomit it up;

God will force it from his stomach.

He will suck the poison of cobras;

a viper’s fangs will kill him.

He will not enjoy the streams,

the rivers flowing with honey and curds.

He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it;

he doesn’t enjoy the profits from his trading.

For he oppressed and abandoned the poor;

he seized a house he did not build.

Because his appetite is never satisfied,

he does not let anything he desires escape.

Nothing is left for him to consume;

therefore, his prosperity will not last.

At the height of his success distress will come to him;

the full weight of misery will crush him.

“They enjoyed the sweet taste of wickedness,

letting it melt under their tongue.

They savored it,

holding it long in their mouths.

But suddenly the food in their bellies turns sour,

a poisonous venom in their stomach.

They will vomit the wealth they swallowed.

God won’t let them keep it down.

They will suck the poison of cobras.

The viper will kill them.

They will never again enjoy streams of olive oil

or rivers of milk and honey.

They will give back everything they worked for.

Their wealth will bring them no joy.

For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute.

They foreclosed on their homes.

They were always greedy and never satisfied.

Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.

Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves.

Therefore, their prosperity will not endure.

“In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble

and be overcome by misery.

“Though wickedness tastes sweet in his mouth,

and he hides it under his tongue,

though he spares it and does not let it go

and holds it back in the midst of his palate,

in his bowels his food is turned,

the venom of horned vipers is within him.

He swallows riches, but he vomits them up;

God drives them out from his stomach.

He will suck the poison of horned vipers;

the viper’s tongue will kill him.

He will not enjoy the streams,

the torrents of honey and curds.

Returning the products of his toil, he will not swallow;

according to the profit of his trade, he will not enjoy,

for he has oppressed; he has abandoned the poor;

he has seized a house but did not build it.

Because he has not known satisfaction in his stomach,

he lets nothing escape that he desires.

There is nothing left after he has eaten;

therefore his prosperity will not endure.

In the fullness of his excess he will be in distress;

all of misery’s power will come upon him.

Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth,

Though he hide it under his tongue;

Though he spare it, and forsake it not;

But keep it still within his mouth:

Yet his meat in his bowels is turned,

It is the gall of asps within him.

He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again:

God shall cast them out of his belly.

He shall suck the poison of asps:

The viper’s tongue shall slay him.

He shall not see the rivers,

The floods, the brooks of honey and butter.

That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down:

According to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.

Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor;

Because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;

Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly,

He shall not save of that which he desired.

There shall none of his meat be left;

Therefore shall no man look for his goods.

In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits:

Every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.