וַיַּעַן צוֹפַר הַנַּעֲמָתִי וַיֹּאמַר׃

Tzofar the Naamatite answered and said:

לָכֵן שְׂעִפַּי יְשִׁיבוּנִי וּבַעֲבוּר חוּשִׁי בִי

Indeed, after hearing your statements, my thoughts respond to the questions you have raised for me, because I have remained silent and attentive. And because my feelings are in me,

מוּסַר כְּלִמָּתִי אֶשְׁמָע וְרוּחַ מִבִּינָתִי יַעֲנֵנִי

I hear my humiliating chastisement that you issued, but the spirit of my understanding will answer for me, and I will respond accordingly.

הֲזֹאת יָדַעְתָּ מִנִּי־עַד מִנִּי שִׂים אָדָם עֲלֵי־אָרֶץ

My spirit says to me the following: Have you known this forever, have you not always been aware of what I am about to say, from when man was placed upon the earth?

כִּי רִנְנַת רְשָׁעִים מִקָּרוֹב וְשִׂמְחַת חָנֵף עֲדֵי־רָגַע

You must know that the rejoicing and song of the wicked is recent, it has begun only recently, and the joy of the hypocrite is fleeting. It is very brief.

אִם־יַעֲלֶה לַשָּׁמַיִם שִׂיאוֹ וְרֹאשׁוֹ לָעָב יַגִּיעַ

Though his crown, the height of the wicked, ascends to the heavens, and his head reaches to the clouds,

כְּגֶלְלוֹ לָנֶצַח יֹאבֵד רֹאָיו יֹאמְרוּ אַיּוֹ

he will perish forever like his dung. His great height is nothing more than a tower of dung, which will eventually crumble and be annihilated. They who saw him will say: Where is he? How did he disappear so completely?

כּחֲלוֹם יָעוּף וְלֹא יִמְצָאֻהוּ וְיֻדַּד כְּחֶזְיוֹן לָיְלָה

He will dissipate like a dream fades, and they will not find him; he will wander like a vision of the night. The greatness of the wicked fades away without leaving a trace, like a dream in the night.

עַיִן שְׁזָפַתּוּ וְלֹא תוֹסִיף וְלֹא־עוֹד תְּשׁוּרֶנּוּ מְקוֹמוֹ

The eye that glimpsed him will not again, and he will no longer be looked upon by the people of his place.

בָּנָיו יְרַצּוּ דַלִּים וְיָדָיו תָּשֵׁבְנָה אוֹנוֹ

His children shall have to appease the poor whom he robbed, and his hands shall recompense his wickedness. He will have to reverse the outcome of his wicked deeds.

עַצְמוֹתָיו מָלְאוּ עֲלוּמָו וְעִמּוֹ עַל־עָפָר תִּשְׁכָּב

His bones were once full of the energy of his youthfulness, but with him it will lie in the dust. His youthful vigor will be buried with him. This may mean that he will die young.

אִם־תַּמְתִּיק בְּפִיו רָעָה יַכְחִידֶנָּה תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ

Though evil, which is like spoiled or poisonous food, is sweet in his mouth, he conceals it under his tongue, since if the wicked conceive a plot that cannot be executed immediately, they secretly hold on to it for a more convenient time.

יַחְמֹל עָלֶיהָ וְלֹא יַעַזְבֶנָּה וְיִמְנָעֶנָּה בְּתוֹךְ חִכּוֹ

He will have compassion for it, his wicked plan, and will not forsake it; he will withhold it within his palate.

לַחְמוֹ בְּמֵעָיו נֶהְפָּךְ מְרוֹרַת פְּתָנִים בְּקִרְבּוֹ

After he swallows his food, carries out his nefarious plans, it will turn in his gut; it will be like cobras’ venom within him, in his stomach.

חַיִל בָּלַע וַיְקִאֶנּוּ מִבִטְנוֹ יֹרִשֶׁנּוּ אֵל

He swallowed, amassed, wealth and will vomit it; God will dispossess him of his belly, even though he has already digested it, as it were.

רֹאשׁ פְּתָנִים יִינָק תַּהַרְגֵהוּ לְשׁוֹן אֶפְעֶה

He will suck the poison of cobras, those creatures will bite him; the viper’s tongue will kill him.

אַל־יֵרֶא בִפְלַגּוֹת נַהֲרֵי נַחֲלֵי דְּבַשׁ וְחֶמְאָה

He will not merit to see the brooks, the abundance of the rivers, the streams of honey and butter. This bounty is not meant for him.

מֵשִׁיב יָגָע וְלֹא יִבְלָע כְּחֵיל תְּמוּרָתוֹ וְלֹא יַעֲלֹס

He, the wicked individual, will give back that for which he labored, perhaps to those whom he robbed, and not swallow it, derive benefit from it himself; like the wealth, so its return, his poverty will be as extreme as his prior wealth, and therefore he will not rejoice.

כִּי־רִצַּץ עָזַב דַּלִּים בַּיִת גָּזַל וְלֹא יִבְנֵהוּ

For he has broken, forsaken the impoverished; he robbed a house and would not build it.

כִּי לֹא־יָדַע שָׁלֵו בְּבִטְנוֹ בַּחֲמוּדוֹ לֹא יְמַלֵּט

For he does not know tranquility in his belly, as he is highly agitated; he will not escape by means of his delights. He will not escape punishment through his treasure and luxury items.

אֵין־שָׂרִיד לְאָכְלוֹ עַל־כֵּן לֹא־יָחִיל טוּבוֹ

There is no remnant to his food, as in his greed he immediately consumes everything; therefore, he will not sustain his prosperity. He will not have the ability to preserve his bounty.

בִּמְלֹאות שִׂפְקוֹ יֵצֶר לוֹ כָּל־יַד עָמֵל תְּבֹאֶנּוּ

With the satisfaction of his needs, when he has everything he needs, it is then that trouble will befall him and he will be troubled; the hand of all travail will come upon him, or a wicked and dangerous individual will strike him and persecute him.

יְהִי לְמַלֵּא בִטְנוֹ יְשַׁלַּח־בּוֹ חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וְיַמְטֵר עָלֵימוֹ בִּלְחוּמוֹ

When he is filling his belly, He, God, will send against him His enflamed wrath, and rain upon him with His fire [bilh·]. This interpretation defines bilḥumo as being related to ḥam, implying the heat of anger. Alternatively, bilḥumo can be related to the word for war [milḥama]: He will rain upon him in His war [beloḥamo] against him.

יִבְרַח מִנֵּשֶׁק בַּרְזֶל תַּחְלְפֵהוּ קֶשֶׁת נְחוּשָׁה

He will flee from an iron weapon; the brass bow, with arrowheads of brass, will pass through him. The arrows of this powerful bow will pierce the body of the wicked.

שָׁלַף וַיֵּצֵא מִגֵּוָה וּבָרָק מִמְּרֹרָתוֹ יַהֲלֹךְ עָלָיו אֵמִים

He, his enemy, drew, his weapon, and it struck the wicked and emerged from his back; the blade through his gall bladder will strike terror in him.

כָּל־חֹשֶׁךְ טָמוּן לִצְפוּנָיו תְּאָכְלֵהוּ אֵשׁ לֹא־נֻפָּח יֵרַע שָׂרִיד בְּאָהֳלוֹ

All darkness is destined for his concealed acts, due to his secret transgressions; a fire not fanned, either a supernatural fire or a natural one that is not fanned to increase its flames, so that instead it will burn him more slowly and thereby increase his suffering, will consume him; it will harm the remnant in his tent. He who is left in his tent will be broken and collapse.

יְגַלּוּ שָׁמַיִם עֲוֹנוֹ וְאֶרֶץ מִתְקוֹמָמָה לוֹ

The heavens will reveal his iniquity before all, and the earth will rise up against him, as it will not want to receive him.

יִגֶל יְבוּל בֵּיתוֹ נִגָּרוֹת בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ

The produce of his house will be exiled, and God’s punishment will be poured out on the day of His wrath.

זֶה חֵלֶק אָדָם רָשָׁע מֵאֱלֹהִים וְנַחֲלַת אִמְרוֹ מֵאֵל

That is the fate of a wicked man from God, and the inheritance decreed upon him from God.