Job 20:18-22 - Compare All Versions

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

He will restore that for which he labored, And will not swallow it down; From the proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor, He has violently seized a house which he did not build. “Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything he desires. Nothing is left for him to eat; Therefore his well-being will not last. In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him.

“They savor evil as a delicacy, roll it around on their tongues, Prolong the flavor, a dalliance in decadence— real gourmets of evil! But then they get stomach cramps, a bad case of food poisoning. They gag on all that rich food; God makes them vomit it up. They gorge on evil, make a diet of that poison— a deadly diet—and it kills them. No quiet picnics for them beside gentle streams with fresh-baked bread and cheese, and tall, cool drinks. They spit out their food half-chewed, unable to relax and enjoy anything they’ve worked for. And why? Because they exploited the poor, took what never belonged to them. “Such God-denying people are never content with what they have or who they are; their greed drives them relentlessly. They plunder everything but they can’t hold on to any of it. Just when they think they have it all, disaster strikes; they’re served up a plate full of misery. When they’ve filled their bellies with that, God gives them a taste of his anger, and they get to chew on that for a while. As they run for their lives from one disaster, they run smack into another. They’re knocked around from pillar to post, beaten to within an inch of their lives. They’re trapped in a house of horrors, and see their loot disappear down a black hole. Their lives are a total loss— not a penny to their name, not so much as a bean. God will strip them of their sin-soaked clothes and hang their dirty laundry out for all to see. Life is a complete wipeout for them, nothing surviving God’s wrath. There! That’s God’s blueprint for the wicked— what they have to look forward to.”

“He returns the product of his labor And cannot swallow it; As to the riches of his trading, He cannot even enjoy them. “For he has oppressed and neglected the poor; He has seized a house which he has not built. ¶“Because he knew no quiet within him, He does not retain anything he desires. “Nothing remains for him to devour, Therefore his prosperity does not endure. “In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.

“He gives back what he has labored for and attained And cannot swallow it [down to enjoy it]; As to the riches of his labor, He cannot even enjoy them. “For he has oppressed and neglected the poor; He has violently taken away houses which he did not build. ¶“Because he knew no quietness or calm within him [because of his greed], He does not retain anything he desires. “There is nothing left of what he devoured; Therefore his prosperity does not endure. “In the fullness of his excess (great abundance) he will be in trouble; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him [he is miserable on every side].

He gives back the ill-gotten gain without assimilating it; he will not enjoy the wealth from his commerce. For he has oppressed the poor and abandoned them; he has seized a house which he did not build. For he knows no satisfaction in his appetite; he does not let anything he desires escape. “Nothing is left for him to devour; that is why his prosperity does not last. In the fullness of his sufficiency, distress overtakes him. the full force of misery will come upon him.