Terrifying sounds are in his ears: here the inward violence which the wicked person suffers is pictured. Terrifying sounds translates the Hebrew “voice of fears” and suggests the fright that the voice of his conscience arouses within him. Good News Translation makes this intense, with “scream in his ears.” It may be necessary in translation to express this line differently; for example, “He hears frightening sounds in his ears,” “Frightening voices shout at him,” or “He hears awful sounds that scare him.”

In prosperity the destroyer will come upon him: in prosperity translates “in peace (shalom)” and suggests in this context “while all is peaceful, quite calm.” Good News Translation has “when he thinks he is safe.” The destroyer translates the same noun rendered “robbers” in 12.6 by Revised Standard Version, and that would be a better translation here. Come upon him means “assault, attack.” This line may be rendered, for example, “while everything is quiet, robbers will attack him” or “when he thinks he is safest, bandits will leap on him.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .