Job 27
1 Job began to speak again.
Job again took up his parable, and said,
2 “I promise you—as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,
"As God lives, who has taken away my right, Shaddai, who has made my soul bitter.
3 for as long as I have life, while the breath of God remains in my nostrils—
(For the length of my life is still in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
4 my lips will never speak lies, my tongue will never be dishonest.
surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, neither shall my tongue utter deceit.
5 I will never agree that you are right; I will insist on my innocence until the day I die.
Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
6 I'm convinced I'm right and will never give up believing this; my conscience will not condemn me as long as I live.
I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go. My conscience will not accuse me as long as I live.
7 May my enemy become like the wicked; may those who oppose me become like those who do evil.
"Let my enemy be as the wicked. Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
8 For what hope do those who reject God have when he cuts them down, when God brings their lives to an end?
For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
9 When times of trouble come to them, will God hear their cry for help?
Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?
10 Do they have a good relationship with the Almighty? Can they call on God at any time?
Will he delight himself in Shaddai, and call on God at all times?
11 Let me explain God's power to you. I will not keep anything back that the Almighty has planned.
I will teach you about the hand of God. That which is with Shaddai will I not conceal.
12 If all of you have recognized this, why do you talk such vain nonsense?
Look, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?
13 This is what God provides as the destiny for the wicked, this is the inheritance that the ruthless will receive from the Almighty—
"This is the portion of a wicked man with God, the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from Shaddai.
14 even if they have many children, they will experience violent deaths or die of starvation.
If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword. His offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who survive will die from disease, and even their widows will not mourn for them.
Those who remain of him shall be buried in death. His widows shall make no lamentation.
16 Even though they pile up silver like dust, and clothes like heaps of clay,
Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;
17 those who do good will wear the clothes and the innocent will divide the silver among them.
he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 They build their houses like a moth; like some flimsy shelter made by a watchman.
He builds his house as the moth, as a booth which the watchman makes.
19 They go to bed rich, but never again! For when they wake up, it's all gone.
He lies down rich, but he shall not do so again. He opens his eyes, and it is gone.
20 Waves of panic flood over them; in the night a whirlwind snatches them away.
Terrors overtake him like waters. A storm steals him away in the night.
21 The east wind picks them up and they're gone, carried away from where they were.
The east wind carries him away, and he departs. It sweeps him out of his place.
22 The wind blows at them with full force; they try desperately to escape.
For it hurls at him, and does not spare, as he flees away from his hand.
23 People clap their hands at them and hiss at them wherever they are.
Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
