Job 27

1 And Job continued his parable and said,

Job began to speak again.

2 [As] God liveth, who hath taken away my right, and the Almighty, who hath embittered my soul,

“I promise you—as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,

3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

for as long as I have life, while the breath of God remains in my nostrils—

4 My lips shall not speak unrighteousness, nor my tongue utter deceit!

my lips will never speak lies, my tongue will never be dishonest.

5 Be it far from me that I should justify you; till I die I will not remove my blamelessness from me.

I will never agree that you are right; I will insist on my innocence until the day I die.

6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart reproacheth [me] not one of my days.

I'm convinced I'm right and will never give up believing this; my conscience will not condemn me as long as I live.

7 Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

May my enemy become like the wicked; may those who oppose me become like those who do evil.

8 For what is the hope of the ungodly, when [God] cutteth him off, when God taketh away his soul?

For what hope do those who reject God have when he cuts them down, when God brings their lives to an end?

9 Will God hear his cry when distress cometh upon him?

When times of trouble come to them, will God hear their cry for help?

10 Doth he delight himself in the Almighty? will he at all times call upon God?

Do they have a good relationship with the Almighty? Can they call on God at any time?

11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God; what is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

Let me explain God's power to you. I will not keep anything back that the Almighty has planned.

12 Behold, ye yourselves have all seen [it]; and why are ye thus altogether vain?

If all of you have recognized this, why do you talk such vain nonsense?

13 This is the portion of the wicked man with God, and the heritage of the violent, which they receive from the Almighty: —

This is what God provides as the destiny for the wicked, this is the inheritance that the ruthless will receive from the Almighty—

14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword, and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread;

even if they have many children, they will experience violent deaths or die of starvation.

15 Those that remain of him shall be buried by death, and his widows shall not weep.

Those who survive will die from disease, and even their widows will not mourn for them.

16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;

Even though they pile up silver like dust, and clothes like heaps of clay,

17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on; and the innocent shall divide the silver.

those who do good will wear the clothes and the innocent will divide the silver among them.

18 He buildeth his house as the moth, and as a booth that a keeper maketh.

They build their houses like a moth; like some flimsy shelter made by a watchman.

19 He lieth down rich, but will do so no more; he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

They go to bed rich, but never again! For when they wake up, it's all gone.

20 Terrors overtake him like waters; a whirlwind stealeth him away in the night.

Waves of panic flood over them; in the night a whirlwind snatches them away.

21 The east wind carrieth him away and he is gone; and as a storm it hurleth him out of his place.

The east wind picks them up and they're gone, carried away from where they were.

22 And [God] shall cast upon him and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.

The wind blows at them with full force; they try desperately to escape.

23 [Men] shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

People clap their hands at them and hiss at them wherever they are.