Job Expounded, Commentary on Job · Chapter 20
¶ THE SVMME AND ORDER of the xx. Chapter.
TSophar taking occasion by this speech of Iob, in which he should rather hauehave rested content (so hard a matter it is for men stif…e conceited, to lay aside their opinions) vrgeth and repeateth the same things againe, to wit, partlie the suddennesse, and partlie the greatnes of Jobs miseries, which no man could doubt, but that they were laid vponupon him by the hand of God: hereupon falslie gathering that God neither could nor yet vsed to deale so with any other, then with most vile and wicked wretches. But whereunto tendes this? Forsooth to proue those things false, which Job had vttered concerning his owne innocencie: and that therefore he was either to bethink him of repentance, or else that once for all, & that out of hand, he should vtterlie be destroyed. But this is verie true, that nothing can either more rightlie or more grauelie be saide concerning the iust punishments, which euen in this life God hath appointed for the wicked, and especiallie for hipocrites and dissemblers, who carrie an outward shew of godlines and vertue, beeing indeed nothing lesse, then that which they seeme to be.
❧ CHAPTER XX.
Vers. 1. Then answered Tsophar the Naamathite and said,
2 For that cause my thoughts call be backe (to speake) & hereupon (is) my making hast:
3 I heare the correction of my reproch: But my spirit shall make answere for me out of my vnderstanding.
1 THen Tsophar the Naamithite hearing these wordes, 2 I had thought, saith he, to hauehave let thee go, & not to hauehave talked or medled any more in this matter, but that thy wordes do compell me to take an other course; wherefore readilie thus I answere thee. 3 And as I hauehave heard thy sharp reprehensions and rebukes: so my knowledge will afforde me, and put into my minde sufficient matter to make the answere, and to pay thee home like for like.
4 Knowest thou not this, (which hath beene) from the beginning, and euer since man was placed vponupon the earth?
5 (Namelie) that the reioycing of the wicked is but hard bie: & that the pleasure of the hipocrite for a moment:
6 If his glorie mount vp to the heauens, and his head reach vntounto the cloudes,
7 After he hath throwne downe him selfe, he shall perish for euer: and they that did see him, shall say, where is he?
8 He shall flee away as a dreame, and he shall not be found, and he shall passe away as a vision of the night.
9 The eye shall behold him and see him no more, neither shal his place any more see him.
4 And is it possible, Iob, that thou shouldest be ignorant of this, which is prooued by experience of al ages, since men began to inhabite the earth. 5 Namelie, that the pompe and triumps of the wicked cannot be fetched from the times of antiquitie, and that the ioyes of hipocrites vanish away in a moment. 6 7 For howsoeuer they may seeme to be lifted vp into heauen, and with the crowne of their heade to touch the cloudes: yet within a very short time being thrown downe headlong, they shall perish for euer, in so much that they who ere while saw them aloft, in the twinkling of an eye shall inquire what is become of them. 8 For they flie away no otherwise then a dreame, so that they shal not any where be found; as who vanished awaie like a night vision. 9 Finallie, they who saw them to day, shall to morrow see them no where, neither yet shall the place where they liued any more acknowledge them.
10 His sonnes shall pacifie the poore, and his hands shall restore their robberies, (that is, those things which they hauehave taken awaie by violence.
For wheras fathers are wont, as it were, to be borne anew in their children, if it so fall out that this man leaue any children behinde him, their state and condition shalbe so miserable, that the poore, whome their father had oppressed, shal thinke and acknowledge them selues satisfied: and he paie dearelie in the end, all that which before he had robbed and pilled, or by extortion and violence taken away from others.
11 His bones shall be filled with his youth, and it shall rest with him in the dust.
The paines and punishments which he hath procured & brought vponupon himself, by the sins of his youth, shal eat vp his bones to the marow, & shall lie downe with him in his graue.
12 Because euill was sweet in his mouth, and he hid it vnderunder his tongue;
13 And spared it, and would not forsake it, but kept it close within his mouth.
14 His bread shall be chaunged in his bowels (and) the gall of aspes (shall be) in his bowells.
15 He shall deuoure substance, but hee shall vomit it, and God shall pull it out of his bellie.
16 He shall suck the gal of Asps, the vipers tongue shal slay him.
12 And trulie in working mischiefe he no lesse pleaseth him selfe, then he who keepeth sweet meate in his mouth. 13, and holdeth it vnderunder his tongue, not with intent to spit it out, but more and more to tast it, being delighted with the pleasant realiz thereof. 14 But this his food being forthwith in his bowells cleane changed, shall become altogether vnsauerie, as the gall of Aspes. 15 He shall neuer digest his goods, which he hath ill gotten and heaped vp, but with extreame paine and torment he shall cast them vp raw and vndigested, God him selfe as it were pulling them violently out of his bellie. 16. So the end shall prooue, that he hath sucked the poyson of Aspes, & that he shall die of the venomous fome, which proceedeth from the tongue of the viper.
17 Hee shall not see the riuers of floods and streames of honie and butter.
18 He shall repaie his labour and shall not swallow (it) (hee shall repay it, I say,) according to the substance of his chaunge, (that is, as he hath dealt with others, so others againe shall deale with him) neither shall he reioice.
17 His goods ill gotten shall hauehave no blessing; no store or plentie shall thereof insue, whereas contrariwise God so blesseth holie & good men, that their houses flow, as it were, with streames of honie and butter. 18 but he shall be so farre from this happines, that he shall repay and make good the damages done to others, without hauing time and space graunted him to swallow them, and the course of things being chaunged, as he hath dealt with others, so others againe shall deale with him, and he shall not enioy the things which he hath gathered.
19 Because he hath vndone (others) and forsaken the poore: hath taken houses by force, and hath not builded them.
20 Because, J say, he hath not knowne rest in his bellie, he shall not go away with that he desireth.
21 Neyther (were there) anie remnants of his meat; therefore shall he not hope for his good.
22 When he shall be filled with aboundance, he shall be brought into streites all the hands of the wicked shall assaile him.
23 (When) hee shall hauehave plentie to fill his bellie, God shall send vponupon him the fiercenes of his wrath, and shall raine vponupon him, vponupon his flesh.
19 And who seeth not, how God herein declareth himselfe to be iust: For seeing this man hath vndone others and depriued them of all their goods: hath built himselfe no houses but seazed and taken possession of houses built with other mens cost and charges: 20 Moreouer, forasmuch as his gluttonous paunch could neuer be satisfied, therefore shall he likewise goe without that, which he wished and longed for: 21 And againe, in that his rauenous greedines hath been without all measure, so that nothing is left him to deuoure, he shall not finde anie thing, whereby he may conceiue hope of remedie, for this miserie. 22 For after hee hath scratched and scrapt together so much, as might satisfie the most greedie and couetous wretch, that liueth vponupon the earth, then shall the wicked set vponupon him on all sides, in so much that he shall be brought into great streites. 23. And when he shall be in the midst of all his iolitie, and shall pamper his karkesse with all maner of delicate & daintie meats, euen then shall God powre out vponupon him his most fearefull wrath and vengeance, rayning downe from heauen vponupon his bodie all kinde of calamities.
24 Escaping from the iron weapons (that is swordes) the bow of steele shall strike him through.
25 The shooter shall let the string go, and it shall shoote forth the arrowe, it shal come foorth of his bodie, and shine with his gall: feare shall come vponupon him.
24. If he shall scape the sword, yet the arrows of the steel bow shall pearce him through▪ 25. They shall not bee shot forth in vaine, but going through his body they shal be died with his gore blood: & moreouer his soule shall be wounded with verie manie terrours.
26. All darkenes shal be hid in his lurking places: the sire that is not blowne shall deuour him, and it shall go ill with them, who remaine in his tabernacle.
27 The heauens shall discouer his iniquities: & the earth shall rise vp against him.
28 The increase of his house shall go awaie: they shall flow away in the daie of his wrath.
26 Where he thought he might most safelie hide himselfe, there shall he finde no suretie, but all full of obscuritie & darkenes: A flame of fire, breaking out of its ovvne accord without anie mans blowing, shall take him out of the waie, and vtterlie destroie him: neither shall the estate of his houshold be anie whit better. 27. For the heauens themselues shall lay open his wickednes; yea the verie earth shall rise vp against him. 28. His reuenewes and yearelie profits shall bee scattered and dispersed here and there: finally like the running water shall such men passe away, so soone as Gods wrath is kindled against them.
29. This is the portion of the wiked man from God, and the heritage of his wordes from God.
And no other portion, then this, Iob, can the wicked look for at Gods handes, who is a most iust iudge and reuenger: thus, I saie, shall almightie God deale with them, and this shall they get by their answering and reasoning against him.