Job 20:4-18

4I am sure that you know this fact. It has been true from long ago, since people first lived on the earth.

5You know that a wicked person is only happy for a short time. His joy continues only for a moment.

6He may think that he is more important than other people. He may be proud of the honour that he receives.

7But he will disappear for ever, like dung that people throw away. His friends will ask, “Where is he?”

8He will disappear like a dream that quickly goes away. Nobody can find him any more.

9People who knew him will never see him again. His family will no longer recognize him.

10His children will have to give things back to poor people. Those are the valuable things that he took from them.

11He still had the strength of a young man. But his strength will die with him when he lies in his grave.

12He enjoys the wicked things that he does. They are like something sweet in his mouth.

13He continues to enjoy wicked things, like the taste of sweet food that he keeps in his mouth.

14But those things will become poison that hurts him. Like bitter food that goes into his stomach.

15Like a person who is sick and loses the food from his stomach, God will cause the wicked person to lose all his riches.

16He will drink the poison of snakes. A dangerous snake will bite him and it will kill him.

17He will never enjoy the good things that the earth provides. He will not enjoy the honey and milk which pours out like rivers of water.

18He will have to give back everything that he owned. He will not enjoy the things that he has worked for.