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.

Returning [the] products of [his] toil, he will not swallow; according to the profit of his trade, {he will not enjoy},

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.

When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.

He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.

It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him.

The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.

This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.

"Listen carefully to my words; let this encourage all of you.

Let me say what is in my mind, and after that, go on making sport of me.

As for me, is my complaint to man? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?

Take note of me and be full of wonder, put your hand on your mouth.

Even when I think thereon, I am affrighted, and trembling taketh hold of my flesh.

Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

Their bullock gendereth, and that not out of time: their cow calveth, and is not unfruitful.

They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.

Their days glided on in good, and in a moment they will lay hold of hades.

Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.

May they become like a straw, blown away before the wind; like a chaff that's swept off by a storm.

+God layeth up the punishment of his iniquity for his children; he rewardeth him, and he shall know it:

His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?

Is anyone able to give teaching to God? for he is the judge of those who are on high.

One comes to his end in complete well-being, full of peace and quiet:

His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow.

And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.

See, I am conscious of your thoughts, and of your violent purposes against me;

For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?

Do you not ask [those] traveling [the] roads, and do you not take notice of their accounts?

That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

Who will make his way clear to his face? and if he has done a thing, who gives him punishment for it?

Yet shall he be brought to his grave, and dwell among the heap of the dead.

The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.

How then, can you console me so worthlessly? What is left of your answers is treachery."

"Can a man be of use to God? Yes, can [the] wise be of use to him?

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect?

Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?

For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.

Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.

Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!

And thou saidst How shall God know? Shall he judge in the cloud of darkness?

Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.

The path of the age dost thou observe, That men of iniquity have trodden?

Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

Who said to God, Go away from us; and, What is the Ruler of all able to do to us?

Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

The upright saw it and were glad: and those who had done no wrong made sport of them,

Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.

Now be of service with Him, and be at peace. Good shall come to you by them.

If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

For then you will have delight in the Ruler of all, and your face will be lifted up to God.

“You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.

When they are made low, then thou shalt say, Rise up! and he shall save him that is of downcast eyes.

He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

Also -- to-day is my complaint bitter, My hand hath been heavy because of my sighing.

If only I knew how to find Him,
so that I could go to His throne.

I would put my cause in order before him, and my mouth would be full of arguments

I would see what his answers would be, and have knowledge of what he would say to me.

Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? Nay; but he would give heed unto me.

If I go east, He is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him.

He works to the north, but I can't see him. He turns south, but I can't catch a glimpse of him.

For he has knowledge of the way I take; after I have been tested I will come out like gold.

Of his steps, my foot taketh hold, His way, have I kept, and not swerved;

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

But his purpose is fixed and there is no changing it; and he gives effect to the desire of his soul.

“For He performs what is planned (appointed) for me,
And He is mindful of many such things.

Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.

For God has made my heart feeble, and my mind is troubled before the Ruler of all.

Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

“Why does the Almighty not set seasons for judgment?
Why do those who know Him not see His days [for punishment of the wicked]?

For some men there be, that remove other men's landmarks; that rob them of their cattle, and keep the same for their own;

They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge.

They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.

Like wild donkeys in the desert,
the poor go out to their task of foraging for food;
the wilderness provides nourishment for their children.

They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.

They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.

They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.

“They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves [of grain] from the hungry.

They make oil within the walls of these men; They tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.

Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.

They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.

The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.

“In the dark they dig into [the penetrable walls of] houses;
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light [of day].

For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.

He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.

“Drought and heat consume the snow waters;
So does Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) [consume] those who have sinned.

The public place of his town has no more knowledge of him, and his name has gone from the memory of men: he is rooted up like a dead tree.

He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.

He gives them a sense of security, so they can rely on it,
but His eyes watch over their ways.

They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.