Job 27
1 Job again took up his parable, and said,
Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right, the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter
As God liveth, who hath rejected my cause, And the Almighty, who hath afflicted my soul;
3 (for the length of my life is still in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
As long as my breath is in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 surely my lips will not speak unrighteousness, neither will my tongue utter deceit.
Never shall my lips speak falsehood, Nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
God forbid that I should acknowledge you to be just: To my last breath will I assert my integrity.
6 I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go. My heart will not reproach me so long as I live.
I will hold fast my innocence, and not let it go; My heart reproacheth me for no part of my life.
7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked. Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
May mine enemy be as the wicked, And he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous!
8 For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
For what is the hope of the wicked, when God cutteth off his web, And taketh away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?
Will he listen to his cry, When trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty, and call on God at all times?
Can he delight himself in the Almighty, And call at all times upon God?
11 I will teach you about the hand of God. I will not conceal that which is with the Almighty.
I will teach you concerning the hand of God; That which is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?
Behold, ye yourselves have all seen it; Why then do ye cherish such vain thoughts?
13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty.
This is the portion of the wicked man from God, —The inheritance which oppressors receive from the Almighty.
14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword. His offspring will not be satisfied with bread.
If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who remain of him will be buried in death. His widows will make no lamentation.
Those of them that escape shall be buried by Death, And their widows shall not bewail them.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;
Though he heap up silver as dust, And procure raiment as clay, —
17 he may prepare it, but the just will put it on, and the innocent will divide the silver.
He may procure, but the righteous shall wear it, And the innocent shall share the silver.
18 He builds his house as the moth, as a booth which the watchman makes.
He buildeth his house like the moth, Or like the shed which the watchman maketh.
19 He lies down rich, but he will not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.
The rich man lieth down, and is not buried; In the twinkling of an eye he is no more.
20 Terrors overtake him like waters. A storm steals him away in the night.
Terrors pursue him like a flood; A tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he departs. It sweeps him out of his place.
The east wind carrieth him away, and he perisheth; Yea, it sweepeth him away from his place.
22 For it hurls at him, and does not spare, as he flees away from his hand.
God sendeth his arrows at him, and doth not spare; He would fain escape from His hand.
23 Men will clap their hands at him, and will hiss him out of his place.
Men clap their hands at him, And hiss him away from his place.
