Job 20:17-24
Job 20:12-29 The Message (MSG)
“They savor evil as a delicacy, roll it around on their tongues, Prolong the flavor, a dalliance in decadence— real gourmets of evil! But then they get stomach cramps, a bad case of food poisoning. They gag on all that rich food; God makes them vomit it up. They gorge on evil, make a diet of that poison— a deadly diet—and it kills them. No quiet picnics for them beside gentle streams with fresh-baked bread and cheese, and tall, cool drinks. They spit out their food half-chewed, unable to relax and enjoy anything they’ve worked for. And why? Because they exploited the poor, took what never belonged to them. “Such God-denying people are never content with what they have or who they are; their greed drives them relentlessly. They plunder everything but they can’t hold on to any of it. Just when they think they have it all, disaster strikes; they’re served up a plate full of misery. When they’ve filled their bellies with that, God gives them a taste of his anger, and they get to chew on that for a while. As they run for their lives from one disaster, they run smack into another. They’re knocked around from pillar to post, beaten to within an inch of their lives. They’re trapped in a house of horrors, and see their loot disappear down a black hole. Their lives are a total loss— not a penny to their name, not so much as a bean. God will strip them of their sin-soaked clothes and hang their dirty laundry out for all to see. Life is a complete wipeout for them, nothing surviving God’s wrath. There! That’s God’s blueprint for the wicked— what they have to look forward to.”
Job 20:12-29 The Message (MSG)
“They savor evil as a delicacy, roll it around on their tongues, Prolong the flavor, a dalliance in decadence— real gourmets of evil! But then they get stomach cramps, a bad case of food poisoning. They gag on all that rich food; God makes them vomit it up. They gorge on evil, make a diet of that poison— a deadly diet—and it kills them. No quiet picnics for them beside gentle streams with fresh-baked bread and cheese, and tall, cool drinks. They spit out their food half-chewed, unable to relax and enjoy anything they’ve worked for. And why? Because they exploited the poor, took what never belonged to them. “Such God-denying people are never content with what they have or who they are; their greed drives them relentlessly. They plunder everything but they can’t hold on to any of it. Just when they think they have it all, disaster strikes; they’re served up a plate full of misery. When they’ve filled their bellies with that, God gives them a taste of his anger, and they get to chew on that for a while. As they run for their lives from one disaster, they run smack into another. They’re knocked around from pillar to post, beaten to within an inch of their lives. They’re trapped in a house of horrors, and see their loot disappear down a black hole. Their lives are a total loss— not a penny to their name, not so much as a bean. God will strip them of their sin-soaked clothes and hang their dirty laundry out for all to see. Life is a complete wipeout for them, nothing surviving God’s wrath. There! That’s God’s blueprint for the wicked— what they have to look forward to.”
Job 20:17-24 King James Version (KJV)
He shall not see the rivers, The floods, the brooks of honey and butter. That which he laboured for shall he restore, And shall not swallow it down: According to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein. Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; Because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not; 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.
Job 20:17-24 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
He does not look at the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and curds. He returns what he has attained And cannot swallow it; As to the riches of his trading, He cannot even enjoy them. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; He has seized a house which he has not built. “Because he knew no quiet within him, He does not retain anything he desires. Nothing remains for him to devour, Therefore his prosperity does not endure. In the fullness of his plenty he will be cramped; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him. When he fills his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him And will rain it on him while he is eating. He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him.
Job 20:17-24 New Century Version (NCV)
They will not admire the sparkling streams or the rivers flowing with honey and cream. They must give back what they worked for without eating it; they will not enjoy the money they made from their trading, because they troubled the poor and left them with nothing. They have taken houses they did not build. “Evil people never lack an appetite, and nothing escapes their selfishness. But nothing will be left for them to eat; their riches will not continue. When they still have plenty, trouble will catch up to them, and great misery will come down on them. When the wicked fill their stomachs, God will send his burning anger against them, and blows of punishment will fall on them like rain. The wicked may run away from an iron weapon, but a bronze arrow will stab them.
Job 20:17-24 American Standard Version (ASV)
He shall not look upon the rivers, The flowing streams of honey and butter. That 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. For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor; He hath violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up. Because he knew no quietness within him, He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth. There was nothing left that he devoured not; Therefore his prosperity shall not endure. In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: The hand of every one that is in misery shall come upon him. When 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. He shall flee from the iron weapon, And the bow of brass shall strike him through.
Job 20:17-24 New International Version (Anglicised) (NIVUK)
He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream. What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading. For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build. ‘Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure. Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure. In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him. When he has filled his belly, God will vent his burning anger against him and rain down his blows on him. Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.
Job 20:17-24 New King James Version (NKJV)
He will not see the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and cream. He will restore that for which he labored, And will not swallow it down; From the proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment. For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor, He has violently seized a house which he did not build. “Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything he desires. Nothing is left for him to eat; Therefore his well-being will not last. In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him. When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath, And will rain it on him while he is eating. He will flee from the iron weapon; A bronze bow will pierce him through.
Job 20:17-24 Amplified Bible (AMP)
“He does not look at the rivers, The flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth]. “He gives back what he has labored for and attained And cannot swallow it [down to enjoy it]; As to the riches of his labor, He cannot even enjoy them. “For he has oppressed and neglected the poor; He has violently taken away houses which he did not build. ¶“Because he knew no quietness or calm within him [because of his greed], He does not retain anything he desires. “There is nothing left of what he devoured; Therefore his prosperity does not endure. “In the fullness of his excess (great abundance) he will be in trouble; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him [he is miserable on every side]. “When he fills his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him And will rain it upon him while he is eating. [Num 11:33; Ps 78:26-31] “He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bow of bronze will pierce him through.
Job 20:17-24 New Living Translation (NLT)
They will never again enjoy streams of olive oil or rivers of milk and honey. They will give back everything they worked for. Their wealth will bring them no joy. For they oppressed the poor and left them destitute. They foreclosed on their homes. They were always greedy and never satisfied. Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about. Nothing is left after they finish gorging themselves. Therefore, their prosperity will not endure. “In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble and be overcome by misery. May God give them a bellyful of trouble. May God rain down his anger upon them. When they try to escape an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce them.
Job 20:17-24 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds. He will give back the fruit of his toil and will not swallow it down; from the profit of his trading he will get no enjoyment. For he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he did not build. “Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him. There was nothing left after he had eaten; therefore his prosperity will not endure. In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress; the hand of everyone in misery will come against him. To fill his belly to the full, God will send his burning anger against him and rain it upon him into his body. He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through.