Job 20

1 Then Zophar replied,

Pea naʻe toki pehēange ʻe Sofaa mei Neama, ʻo ne pehē,

2 “I am very perturbed about what you have said, so I want to reply very quickly.

“Ko e moʻoni ʻoku langaʻi au ʻe heʻeku ngaahi mahalo ke u tali, ko ia ʻoku ou fakatoʻotoʻo ai.

3 By saying these things you have insulted me, but I know how (OR, because I understand very much) I can reply to you.

Kuo u fanongo ki he tautea ʻo ʻeku manuki, pea ko e laumālie ʻo ʻeku ʻilo ʻoku langaʻi au ke u tali.

4 “Do you not know that from long ago, ever since people were first put on the earth,

‌ʻIkai te ke ʻilo eni mei muʻa, talu hono tuku ʻoe tangata ʻi māmani,

5 wicked people [like you] do not continue to rejoice for a long time, ungodly people are happy only for a (moment/very short time) [HYP]?

Koeʻuhi ʻoku fuonounou ʻae nekeneka ʻoe angahala, pea ko e fiefia ʻae mālualoi ʻoku ʻi he kemo pe taha?

6 [Even] though their reputation/pride reaches up to the sky and their fame goes up as high as the clouds,

Neongo ʻae aʻu hake ki he langi ʻa hono ongolelei, pea ʻasi hake hono ʻulu ki he ngaahi ʻao;

7 they will disappear forever, like their own dung, and those who knew them will ask, ‘(Where did they go/What happened to them)?’

Ka ʻe ʻauha ia ʻo taʻengata ʻo hangē pe ko ʻene meʻa kovi ʻaʻana: ko kinautolu naʻe mamata ki ai te nau pehē, ‘Kofaʻā ia?’

8 They will be forgotten like [SIM] a dream is, and they will exist no more. They will vanish, like visions [that people see] during the night.

‌ʻE puna atu ia ʻo hangē ha misi, pea ʻe ʻikai ʻilo ia: ʻio, ʻe tuli atu ia ʻo hangē ko ha meʻa ʻoku hā mai ʻi he pō.

9 Those who saw those people previously will never see them again; even their families [MTY] will not see them any more.

Ko e mata foki naʻe mamata ki ai ʻe ʻikai toe mamata ai; pea ʻe ʻikai toe ʻilo ia ʻe hono potu.

10 Their children will be forced to return the valuable things that those children stole from poor people [DOU].

‌ʻE kumi ʻe heʻene fānau ke fakafiemālieʻi ʻae masiva, pea ʻe toe ʻatu ʻe hono nima ʻenau ngaahi meʻa.

11 Previously their bodies were young and strong, but they will die and [their bodies will] be buried in the ground.

‌ʻOku fonu hono ngaahi hui [ʻi he angahala ]ʻo ʻene kei siʻi, pea ʻe takoto mo ia ʻi he efu.

12 “Doing wicked things was like having sweet food in their mouths, and they wanted to continue to taste it.

“Neongo ʻoku melie ʻi hono ngutu ʻae fai kovi, pea ne fufū ia ʻi hono lalo ʻelelo:

13 And they did not want to stop doing those things,

Neongo ʻene mamae ki ai, ʻo ʻikai liʻaki; kae maʻu pe ʻi hono loto ngutu:

14 [but some day] the evil things that they enjoyed doing will become like food [that they swallow] [and which becomes] as bitter as snake venom.

‌ʻE liliu ʻene meʻakai ʻi hono kete, ʻe hoko ia ko e ʻahu ʻoe fanga ngata fekai ʻi loto ʻiate ia.

15 Wicked people will not continue to keep the money they have accumulated, like people do not keep the food that they vomit. God takes their wealth from them.

Kuo ne folo hifo ʻae koloa, ka te ne toe lua ʻaki hake ia: ʻe lī ia ʻe he ʻOtua mei hono kete.

16 What wicked people do is [like] [MET] swallowing snake venom; it will kill them like [MET] the bite of a poisonous snake kills people.

‌ʻE mimisi ʻe ia ʻae kona ʻoe fanga ngata fekai: ʻe teʻia ia ʻe he ʻelelo ʻoe ngata fekai.

17 They will not remain alive to see abundant blessings [IDM] [from God], milk and olive oil and honey, that are [so abundant they are] like [MET] a stream that flows by.

‌ʻE ʻikai mamata ia ki he ngaahi vai, ko e ngaahi vai lahi, mo e ngaahi vaitafe ʻoe meʻa huʻamelie mo e pota.

18 They will be forced to give back the things that they stole from the poor; they will not be able to continue to enjoy those things. They will not remain happy because of what they got from their businesses,

‌ʻE toe ʻatu ʻe ia ʻae fua ʻo ʻene ngāue, pea ʻe ʻikai folo hifo: pea ʻe ʻikai fiefia ia ʻi he lahi fau ʻo ʻene koloa.

19 because they oppressed poor people and refused to help them, and they took other people’s houses [by cheating them].

Koeʻuhi kuo ne taʻomia mo liʻaki ʻae masiva; kuo ne toʻo fakamālohi ʻae fale naʻe ʻikai ke ne langa;

20 “They were always greedy and never satisfied. They just keep dreaming about owning more and more things.

“Ko e moʻoni ʻe ʻikai te ne ongoʻi ʻae fiemālie ʻi hono loto, ʻe ʻikai te ne faʻa maʻu ʻaia kuo ne holi ki ai.

21 When they finished eating their food, there was never anything left over [because they had greedily eaten it all]; but now their prosperity will end.

‌ʻE ʻikai toe ʻene meʻa kai; ko ia ʻe ʻikai ʻamanaki ʻe ha taha ki haʻane meʻa.

22 When they are extremely prosperous/wealthy, they will suddenly experience a lot of trouble. (Misery will strike them and crush them [PRS]/They will suffer very greatly).

‌ʻI he lahi ʻo ʻene maʻumeʻa ʻe masiva ai ia; ʻe hoko kiate ia ʻae nima ʻoe angakovi kotoa pē.

23 When the wicked people are filling their stomachs, God will show that he is very angry with them and punish them; the punishment [that he gives them] will be like [MET] rain falling on them.

‌ʻI heʻene teu ke fakapito hono kete, ʻe lī kiate ia ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae mālohi ʻo hono houhau, pea fakaʻauha ia kiate ia lolotonga ʻene kai.

24 They will try to escape from [being killed by] iron weapons, but arrows with bronze points will pierce them.

‌ʻE puna ia mei he meʻa tau ukamea, ka ʻe fanaʻi ia ke ʻasi ʻe he kaufana ukamea.

25 The arrows will [go completely through their bodies and] stick out of their backs; the shiny points of the arrows will have blood dripping from them, and those wicked people will be terrified.

‌ʻE unuhi ia, pea ʻasi ʻi hono sino; ʻio, ʻoku haʻu mei hono ʻahu ʻae heletā ngingila, ʻoku ʻiate ia ʻae ngaahi ilifia.

26 Their valuable possessions will all be destroyed; a fire that is not lit by humans, [but by God, ] will burn them up and also destroy the things that are left in their tents.

Ko e ngaahi fakapoʻuli kotoa pē kuo fufū ʻi hono ngaahi potu fakalilolilo: ʻe fakaʻauha ia ʻe he afi taʻetapili; ʻe hoko ʻae kovi kiate ia ʻoku toe ʻi hono ʻapi.

27 The [angels in] heaven [MTY] will reveal the sins that those wicked people have committed, and [people on] earth will stand up and testify against them.

‌ʻE fakahā ʻe he langi ʻa ʻene fai kovi, pea ʻe tuʻu hake ki ai ʻae fonua.

28 When God punishes [MTY] [people], all the possessions in the wicked people’s houses will be carried away by a flood.

Ko e koloa ʻo hono fale ʻe mole, pea tafe atu ʻi he ʻaho ʻo hono houhau.

29 That is what will happen to wicked people [like you]; that is what God has decided will happen to them.”

Ko e ʻinasi eni ʻoe tangata angahala mei he ʻOtua, mo e tufakanga kuo tuʻutuʻuni maʻana ʻe he ʻOtua.”