Job 20

to bo forsaken of God, yet I know that he can hereafter deliver mc out of this miserable condition, since he lives for ever; and will, I doubt not, at last appear victorious over all the enemies which now oppress me. Ver. 2G. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.] And though Iho worms which have eaten my skin should proceed to consume the rest of this wretched body, yet I feel my soul inspired with a comfortable belief, that beforo 1 die I shall see myself restored, by the mercy of God, to a happy estate. Vcr. 27. Wliom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.] He will not let mc always lie under these reproaches; but I begin to assure myself, that with these very eyes I shall see him vindicate my innocence; not only others, but I myself shall live to see it: and I even faint away with vehement desire to behold that happy day. The abrupt beginning of this speech of Zophar shews that he was in a passion; which, though he pretends to bridle it, would not let himcalmly consider the protestation which Job had made of his innocence. But he goes on in the old common place of the certain downfal of the wicked, be he never so powerful and well supported. Which he illustrates, indeed, after an excellent fashion, with great variety of figures and remarks upon histories as old as the world. In some of which he had observed, that the wicked after their fall had made no* table attempts to get up again; but by the hand of God were so crushed, that they could never rise more. All the flaw in his discourse is this (which was common to him with the rest), that he imagined God never varied from this method; and therefore Job, without doubt, was a very bad man, though it did not appear he was so any other way, but by his infelicity. His ill-gotten goods, for instance, which he devoured with so much greediness and insatiable desire, shall never thrive with him; but he shall be forced to refund them with a torment far exceeding the pleasure wherewith he got them: God himself shall violently force them from him, and all his other riches together with them.

Job 20:1

JL HEN answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said. Here Zophar, though he had no new thing to produce, hastily interrupted Job, and said,

Job 20:2

Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste. These words of thine make my former thoughts return agaih; and do so provoke me, that I. am. not able to forbear speaking any longer.

Job 20:3

I have heard tlve check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer. AVhile thou 4 pretendest to corrcctmy errors, I have heard myself rather shamefully reproached; yet I will not stifler my passion to reply, but the clear light of my understanding shall answer for mc.

Job 20:4

Knmvest thou?iot this of old, since man was placed upon earth. It seems thou dost not yet understand, though it be a truth as old as the world, Vcr. 5. That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?] That the happiness which the wicked, and he that counterfeits piety, so much boast of, is of no long standing, and will continue but for a few moments.

Job 20:6

Though his excellency mount tip to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds. Though he should be advanced to the highest pitch of human greatness,, and overtop all mankind as much as the highest trees do the lowest shrubs:

Job 20:7

Yet he shall perish for ever like his oion dung:’ they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?. Yet he shall fall as low as his dunghil; and, like it, be cast out for ever with contempt: they who saw him so flourishing shall be astonished at’his ruin, and ask, with amazement, what is become of him?

Job 20:8

He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found; yea, he sliall be chased away as a vision of the night. For his happiness hath no firmer foundation than a dream, of which we have no remembrance in the morning: or if we have, all the rich furniture and feasts which appear to us in our sleep Yanish in an instant as soon aswc awake.

Job 20:9

The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him. Just so shall he pass away, and all his glory with him: those eyes that wero wont to gaze upon it with envy shall" lose the sight of it, and never behold it more. Vcr. 10. His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.] His children shall have enough to do to pacify the rage of the poor, whomhe hath oppressed; and he shall be forced with shame to restore with his own hands the goods he hath extorted from them. Vcr. 11. His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie dotvn.with him in the dust.] His very bones’ are full of pain and anguish. AIL which punishments of his secret sins shall stick to him till they bring* him to liis grave.

Job 20:12

Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue.) Though wickedness, like some dangerous meats, be pleafcant in the acting, as they arc in the chewing; so that a man is as desirous to continue it, as a glutton is to keep a long relish of those sweet morsels upon his palate:

Job 20:13

Tliough he spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it still within his mouth. Though he will by no means part •with it, when he is told the danger; but still retains it, as * the other doth that meat in his mouth, which he is told is no better than poison:

Job 20:14

Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him. Yet, after it is committed, it wrings and gripes the conscience, as those dainty bits, when they are swallowed, do tho bowels: the pleasure is turned into pain, the sweetness into such bitterness as brings the most sudden destruction.

Job 20:15

lie hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.]

Job 20:16

He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper’s tongue shall slay him. Which shall proye as great and as deadly a torture to him, as if, when he squeezed the poor, he had sucked the poison of asps, or been bitten with a viper.

Job 20:17

He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey andtmtter. This shall be his portion, instead of the pleasures of nature and art; which he flattered himself would flow in several streams to him perpetually.

Job 20:18

That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall tlte restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein. He may endeavour again with new labour to repair his broken fortune; but it shall be in vain: though he should get as much riches as he had before his change, he shall have no joy in them.

Job 20:19

Because he hath oppressed, and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away a house which he builded not. When he hath with new oppressions grinded the poor, and left them destitute, when he hath violently seized on a house, he shall not be able to build it.

Job 20:20

Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired.~. When he hath turned, as we say, every stone, and been as restless as a woman in travail; all his pains shall bring forth nothing of that which he desired. All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.] Nothing but dreadful dangers shall wait for him in. those places where he hoped for safety: a fire not kindled by man shall devour him, and the same pestilence or burning fever shall take hold of the rest of his family.

Job 20:21

There shall none of his meat be left; therefore shall no man look for his goods. He shall have no more left him to cat, than he was wont to leave for others, which shall put him out of all hope of mending his condition.

Job 20:22

In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon Mm. The greater fulness you can suppose him to regain of worldly goods, the more he shall be distressed; for the hand of every man whom he hath afflicted shall lay hold on him to demand satisfaction. -‘Ver. 23. 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.’] God himself also shall disturb him in his enjoyments, with the sorest effects of his Divine vengeance, which shall come pouring down from heaven, when he thinks himself most secure.

Job 20:24

He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through. He shall run from a lesser danger to fall into a greater; as if one, avoiding the weapon in a man’s hand, should be shot through with a bow of steel.

Job 20:25

It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glistering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him. And though he should draw the shaft out of his body, and the wound in his bowels should be healed, he shall not escape so, for terrors shall perpetually accompany him.

Job 20:27

The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him. The heaven by thunder, lightning, or tempests, shall declare itself his enemy; and the earth, by wild beasts or serpents, or some other way, shall make war against him.

Job 20:28

But ye should say, Wliy persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?. Which will make you repent that you have thus persecuted me, who have not without ground thus long disputed this matter with you, but am sure the right lies on my side, and not on yours. Vcr. 29. Be ye afraid of the sivord: for tvrath brmgeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.] Take my advice therefore in good time, and dread the just displeasure of God against you for yonr perverse reasonings (for his wrath punishes men’s iniquities with the sword, of some such sore vengeance), whereby you will know to your cost, that there is a more righteous judgment than yours. Tlte increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.] His whole revenue shall melt away as waters poured out, in the day when God intends to punish him.

Job 20:29

This is the portion of a roicked man from God, and ihe heritage appointed unto him by God. This is the portion which God the righteous judge will allot to the wicked: thus will the Almighty reward his blasphemies, or his other proud and insolent words.