Job 27

1 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

Job replied again [to his three friends],

2 [As] God liveth, [who] hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, [who] hath vexed my soul;

“Almighty God has refused to treat me justly/fairly. He has caused me to feel bitter/resentful. But [just as surely] as he lives,

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

as long as God’s Spirit enables me to breathe,

4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

I will not lie; I [SYN] will not say anything to deceive anyone.

5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

I will never admit that what you [three] have said is true; until the day that I die, I will insist that I have not done things that are wrong.

6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach [me] so long as I live.

I will say that I am innocent, and never (say anything different/change what I say); my conscience will never reproach me as long as I live.

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

“I want my enemies to be [punished] like all wicked [people are punished]; I want [God to punish] those who oppose me like [he punishes all] unrighteous [people].

8 For what [is] the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

When [it is time for] God [to] get rid of godless/wicked people and [to] cause them to die, there is absolutely nothing good [RHQ] that they can confidently expect [to happen to them].

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

When they experience troubles, (will God hear them call [out to him for help]?/God certainly will not hear them call out [to him for help].) [RHQ]

10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

(Will they be happy about what Almighty [God] does?/They certainly will not be happy about what Almighty [God] does.) [RHQ] (Will they [begin to] pray to him frequently?/They certainly will not [begin to] pray to him frequently.) [RHQ] [Certainly not!]

11 I will teach you by the hand of God: [that] which [is] with the Almighty will I not conceal.

“I will teach you [three] something about the power [MTY] of Almighty God [MTY]; I will reveal what he is thinking.

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

But you [three] have seen for yourselves [what God has done]; so (why are you saying such nonsense?/you should not be saying such nonsense.) [RHQ]

13 This [is] the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, [which] they shall receive of the Almighty.

“[I will tell you] what Almighty God does to wicked people, the things that he does to people who oppress others.

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, [many of] those children will die in wars [MTY], and their [other] children will [die because they do] not have enough food to eat.

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

Their children who are still alive will die from diseases, and their widows will not [even] mourn for them.

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

Sometimes [wicked people] accumulate a huge amount [SIM] of silver and pile up clothes like [SIM] those clothes were a pile of clay,

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

but [those wicked people will die, and then] righteous people will wear those clothes, and honest/innocent people will get their silver and divide it [among themselves].

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

The houses that they build are [as frail/fragile] as [SIM] spider webs, or they are like flimsy huts that watchmen live in [while they guard people’s fields].

19 The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he [is] not.

Wicked people are rich when they lie down [at night], but when they wake up [in the morning, they find out that] their money has disappeared.

20 Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

“Things that terrify them [PRS] strike them like a flood [SIM]; during the night a whirlwind carries them away.

21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

[It is as though] the wind from the east picks them up and carries them away from their homes, and they disappear.

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

That wind strikes them without pitying them while they are running away, trying to escape from its force/power [MTY].

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

That wind [is like someone] clapping his hands [MET] at them [to ridicule them], howling at them wherever they run to.”