Verse 20 begins the detailed portrayal of the wicked. The wicked man writhes in pain all his days: the belief of Eliphaz is that the wicked person is punished on this earth. Wicked translates a noun which refers to one who causes others to suffer. It was used in 3.17 in the plural, “In the grave wicked men stop their evil” (Good News Translation). Here Good News Translation translates “A wicked man who oppresses others.” Writhes in pain renders a verb form meaning “tormented, punished.” This may be taken as physical, but more likely it refers to the conscience. New English Bible says “racked with anxiety.” It can also be translated “tormented by worry.” All his days: verse 20 begins in Hebrew with this phrase and is poetically related to its parallel expression in the following line. This line may be rendered, for example, “Evil people are made to suffer as long as they live,” or “Wicked people are punished throughout their lives,” or, as an active construction, “God punishes evil people during their lives.”

Through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless: this expression of time which moved from days in line a to years in line b refers to the same thing, that is, the amount of time he is given to live. That are laid up for means “that are saved, reserved, stored up” for someone, just as in Psalm 31.19 “O how abundant is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee.” Good News Translation reduces the two time references to one and says “as long as he lives.” Bible en français courant keeps both time references with “every day” in line a, and in line b “the time of the tyrants is strictly counted.” Ruthless translates the same term used in 6.23, translated “oppressors” (Revised Standard Version) and “tyrant” (Good News Translation). Due to the similarity of meaning in the two lines of this verse, some may prefer to reduce the two lines to one, or to translate line b, for example, “This goes on as long as these violent people live” or “These oppressors of people will suffer all their lives.”

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 .