¹Så tog Na'amatiten Zofar til Orde og sagde

¹And Zophar the Naamathite answereth and saith: —

²"Derfor bruser Tankerne i mig, og derfor stormer det i mig;

²Therefore my thoughts cause me to answer, And because of my sensations in me.

³til min Skam må jeg høre på Tugt, får tankeløst Mundsvejr til Svar!

³The chastisement of my shame I hear, And the spirit of mine understanding Doth cause me to answer:

⁴Ved du da ikke fra Arilds Tid, fra Tiden, da Mennesket sattes på Jorden,

⁴This hast thou known from antiquity? Since the placing of man on earth?

⁵at gudløses Jubel er kort og vanhelliges Glæde stakket?

⁵That the singing of the wicked [is] short, And the joy of the profane for a moment,

⁶Steg end hans Hovmod til Himlen, raged hans Hoved i Sky,

⁶Though his excellency go up to the heavens, And his head against a cloud he strike —

⁷som sit Skarn forgår han for evigt, de, der så ham, siger: "Hvor er han?"

⁷As his own dung for ever he doth perish, His beholders say: `Where [is] he?`

⁸Han flyr som en Drøm, man finder ham ikke, som et Nattesyn jages han bort;

⁸As a dream he fleeth, and they find him not, And he is driven away as a vision of the night,

⁹Øjet, der så ham, ser ham ej mer, hans Sted får ham aldrig at se igen.

⁹The eye hath not seen him, and addeth not. And not again doth his place behold him.

¹⁰Hans Sønner bejler til ringes Yndest, hans Hænder må give hans Gods tilbage.

¹⁰His sons do the poor oppress, And his hands give back his wealth.

¹¹Hans Ben var fulde af Ungdomskraft, men den lægger sig med ham i Støvet.

¹¹His bones have been full of his youth, And with him on the dust it lieth down.

¹²Er det onde end sødt i hans Mund, når han gemmer det under sin Tunge,

¹²Though he doth sweeten evil in his mouth, Doth hide it under his tongue,

¹³sparer på det og slipper det ikke, holder det fast til sin Gane,

¹³Hath pity on it, and doth not forsake it, And keep it back in the midst of his palate,

¹⁴så bliver dog Maden i hans Indre til Slangegift inden i ham;

¹⁴His food in his bowels is turned, The bitterness of asps [is] in his heart.

¹⁵Godset, han slugte, må han spy ud, Gud driver det ud af hans Bug,

¹⁵Wealth he hath swallowed, and doth vomit it. From his belly God driveth it out.

¹⁶han indsuger Slangernes Gift, og Øgleungen slår ham ihjel;

¹⁶Gall of asps he sucketh, Slay him doth the tongue of a viper.

¹⁷han skuer ej Strømme af Olie, Bække af Honning og Fløde;

¹⁷He looketh not on rivulets, Flowing of brooks of honey and butter.

¹⁸han må af med sin Vinding, svælger den ej, får ingen Glæde af tilbyttet Gods.

¹⁸He is giving back [what] he laboured for, And doth not consume [it]; As a bulwark [is] his exchange, and he exults not.

¹⁹Thi han knuste de ringe og lod dem ligge, ranede Huse, han ej havde bygget.

¹⁹For he oppressed — he forsook the poor, A house he hath taken violently away, And he doth not build it.

²⁰Thi han har ingen Hjælp af sin Rigdom, trods sine Skatte reddes han ikke;

²⁰For he hath not known ease in his belly. With his desirable thing he delivereth not himself.

²¹ingen gik fri for hans Glubskhed, derfor varer hans Lykke ikke;

²¹There is not a remnant to his food, Therefore his good doth not stay.

²²midt i sin Overflod har han det trangt, al Slags Nød kommer over ham.

²²In the fulness of his sufficiency he is straitened. Every perverse hand doth meet him.

²³For at fylde hans Bug sender Gud sin Vredes Glød imod ham, lader sin Harme regne på ham.

²³It cometh to pass, at the filling of his belly, He sendeth forth against him The fierceness of His anger, Yea, He raineth on him in his eating.

²⁴Flyr han for Brynje af Jern, så gennemborer ham Kobberbuen;

²⁴He fleeth from an iron weapon, Pass through him doth a bow of brass.

²⁵en Kni kommer ud af hans Ryg, et lynende Stål af hans Galde; over ham falder Rædsler,

²⁵One hath drawn, And it cometh out from the body, And a glittering weapon from his gall proceedeth. On him [are] terrors.

²⁶idel Mørke er opsparet til ham; Ild, der ej blæses op, fortærer ham, æder Levningen i hans Telt.

²⁶All darkness is hid for his treasures, Consume him doth a fire not blown, Broken is the remnant in his tent.

²⁷Himlen bringer hans Brøde for Lyset, og Jorden rejser sig mod ham.

²⁷Reveal do the heavens his iniquity, And earth is raising itself against him.

²⁸Hans Huses Vinding må bort, rives bort på Guds Vredes Dag.

²⁸Remove doth the increase of his house, Poured forth in a day of His anger.

²⁹Slig er den gudløses Lod fra Gud og Lønnen fra Gud for hans Brøde!

²⁹This [is] the portion of a wicked man from God. And an inheritance appointed him by God.