These two verses are treated together, since they use the same imagery and express the same thought. However, translators relate them in various ways.

Because his greed knew no rest is literally “He knew no quietness in his belly.” In Revised Standard Version line a is the cause and line b the consequence. New English Bible, on the other hand, takes the whole of verse 20 as the cause, with the result or effect set out in verse 21. From the Hebrew it is not clear whether the greed of the man is the cause of his inability to save what he enjoys, as in Revised Standard Version, or whether the relationship between the lines is to be taken as in New English Bible. Good News Translation seems to agree with New English Bible. However, Good News Translation has condensed the two lines of verse 20 into one. This line is idiomatic; “to know no quietness in the belly” is the equivalent of saying “his insides are never at ease,” that is, “he is always gluttonous, greedy, piggish.” This line may be rendered, for example, “His appetite is never satisfied,” “He can never get enough,” or “He always wants more than he gets.”

He will not save anything in which he delights is literally “He will not cause his valued things to escape.” This line has been given many interpretations. The most probable is that, due to his greed in the previous line, he goes too far and in the end has nothing left. Revised Standard Version‘s meaning is appropriate. The whole of verse 20 may be rendered “Because of his greed he is unable to save any of his treasured belongings” or “He is so greedy he cannot save any of the things he likes.”

Verse 21 repeats in different words the thought expressed in verse 20. There was nothing left after he had eaten is literally “There is no survivor from his eating.” Nothing left translates the same Hebrew word which Revised Standard Version renders “survivor” in 18.19. It is not food that he devours, but the poor. Good News Translation keeps only the image of food with “When he eats there is nothing left over,” which depicts a gluttonous person at his food. New International Version improves on this: “Nothing is left for him to devour.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy improves on that again: “Nothing escapes his voracity (gluttonous appetite).” Bible en français courant is still better: “No one escapes his voracity.” This line may also be rendered, for example, “He is so greedy that nobody can escape him” or “He wants everything, and so he catches everybody.” In some languages we may say idiomatically, “He is greedy and eats everybody,” or “He is so greedy he doesn’t stop until he has eaten up everybody.”

Therefore his prosperity will not endure: this line expresses the final condition of the prosperity of the wicked. The word translated prosperity is taken by some translators in the sense of “well-being, happiness.” In 21.16, where Revised Standard Version translates the same word as “prosperity,” Good News Translation shifts to the verb form, “succeed.” This line may also be expressed “his happiness will not last,” “he is not happy long,” or “his well-being soon comes to an end.”

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 .