1 T hen answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

Entonces Sofar el naamatita le dijo:

2 T herefore do my thoughts give answer to me, Even by reason of my haste that is in me.

«Creo que estoy obligado a responderte. No me puedo quedar callado.

3 I have heard the reproof which putteth me to shame; And the spirit of my understanding answereth me.

Te he escuchado censurar mis reprensiones, y mi inteligencia me obliga a responderte.

4 K nowest thou not this of old time, Since man was placed upon earth,

¿Acaso no sabes que esto siempre ha sido así, desde que hubo el primer hombre en la tierra?

5 T hat the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless but for a moment?

La alegría del malvado no dura mucho. El gozo del impío es sólo momentáneo.

6 T hough his height mount up to the heavens, And his head reach unto the clouds;

Aunque su orgullo lo eleve hasta el cielo, y crea alcanzar las nubes levantando la cabeza,

7 Y et he shall perish for ever like his own dung: They that have seen him shall say, Where is he?

será, como basura, destruido para siempre, y quienes lo hayan visto no volverán a verlo.

8 H e shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.

Se disipará, se esfumará como un sueño, como una visión nocturna que nadie vuelve a tener.

9 T he eye which saw him shall see him no more; Neither shall his place any more behold him.

Quienes lo conocieron, nunca más vuelven a verlo, y en su pueblo natal nadie lo podrá reconocer.

10 H is children shall seek the favor of the poor, And his hands shall give back his wealth.

Sus hijos pedirán la compasión de los pobres, y devolverán lo que su padre haya robado.

11 H is bones are full of his youth, But it shall lie down with him in the dust.

Aunque ahora sea un hombre lleno de vigor, en la tumba quedará convertido en polvo.

12 T hough wickedness be sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue,

Solía deleitarse con la miel de su maldad, que su lengua paladeaba con deleite;

13 T hough he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;

si su maldad le parecía bien, no la dejaba, sino que la saboreaba con fruición.

14 Y et his food in his bowels is turned, It is the gall of asps within him.

¡Pero luego de comerla, le cambiará el sabor! ¡Será en sus entrañas como veneno de víboras!

15 H e hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God will cast them out of his belly.

¡Se hartó de riquezas, y tendrá que devolverlas! ¡Dios hará que las arroje de su vientre!

16 H e shall suck the poison of asps: The viper's tongue shall slay him.

¡Absorberá el veneno mortal de áspides! ¡Una serpiente venenosa lo morderá,

17 H e shall not look upon the rivers, The flowing streams of honey and butter.

y no volverá a ver los ríos ni los arroyos, ni los torrentes de leche y miel!

18 T hat which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down; According to the substance that he hath gotten, he shall not rejoice.

»No disfrutará de sus riquezas injustas, sino que todas ellas tendrá que devolverlas,

19 F or he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor; He hath violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up.

porque a los pobres los dejó en el desamparo, y se adueñó de casas que él nunca construyó.

20 B ecause he knew no quietness within him, He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth.

Por eso, nunca podrá vivir tranquilo, pues en su ambición nada dejaba escapar.

21 T here was nothing left that he devoured not; Therefore his prosperity shall not endure.

Nunca nada se libró de su voracidad; por eso su prosperidad no será duradera.

22 I n the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: The hand of every one that is in misery shall come upon him.

Su extremada abundancia le causará dolor, y todo el poder del mal recaerá sobre él.

23 W hen he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him, And will rain it upon him while he is eating.

Cuando se siente a la mesa, dispuesto a comer, Dios descargará todo el ardor de su ira sobre él y sobre todo lo que coma.

24 H e shall flee from the iron weapon, And the bow of brass shall strike him through.

Aunque huya de las armas de hierro, caerá víctima de un arco de bronce:

25 H e draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body; Yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall: Terrors are upon him.

una flecha le atravesará el cuerpo, la punta de acero le perforará el hígado, y le sobrevendrán terribles temores.

26 A ll darkness is laid up for his treasures: A fire not blown by man shall devour him; It shall consume that which is left in his tent.

Una terrible oscuridad le está reservada; un fuego no atizado lo consumirá, y acabará con lo que aún quede de su casa.

27 T he heavens shall reveal his iniquity, And the earth shall rise up against him.

Los cielos dejarán ver sus injusticias, y la tierra se levantará para acusarlo.

28 T he increase of his house shall depart; His goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.

El día que Dios tiene señalado para su ira, sus hijos serán llevados al destierro y esparcidos.

29 T his is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the heritage appointed unto him by God.

Así castiga Dios a la gente malvada; ésa es la herencia que Dios les ha asignado.»