Job 27
1 And Job further continued and said in his parable,
Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
2 [As] God lives, who has thus judge me; and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul;
As God liveth, who hath rejected my cause, And the Almighty, who hath afflicted my soul;
3 verily, while my breath is yet in [me], and the breath of God which remains to me is in my nostrils,
As long as my breath is in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips shall not speak evil words, neither shall my soul meditate unrighteous thoughts.
Never shall my lips speak falsehood, Nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should justify you till I die; for I will not let go my innocence,
God forbid that I should acknowledge you to be just: To my last breath will I assert my integrity.
6 but keeping fast to [my] righteousness I will by no means let it go: for I am not conscious to myself of having done any thing amiss.
I will hold fast my innocence, and not let it go; My heart reproacheth me for no part of my life.
7 Nay rather, but let mine enemies be as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me, as the destruction of transgressors.
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 ungodly, that he holds to it? will he indeed trust in the Lord [and] be saved?
For what is the hope of the wicked, when God cutteth off his web, And taketh away his life?
9 Will God hear his prayer? or, when distress has come upon him,
Will he listen to his cry, When trouble cometh upon him?
10 has he any confidence before him? or will [God] hear him as he calls upon him?
Can he delight himself in the Almighty, And call at all times upon God?
11 Yet now I will tell you what is in the hand of the Lord: I will not lie concerning the things which are with the Almighty.
I will teach you concerning the hand of God; That which is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, you all know that you are adding vanity to vanity.
Behold, ye yourselves have all seen it; Why then do ye cherish such vain thoughts?
13 This is the portion of an ungodly man from the Lord, and the possession of oppressors shall come upon them from the Almighty.
This is the portion of the wicked man from God, —The inheritance which oppressors receive from the Almighty.
14 And if their children be many, they shall be for slaughter: and if they grow up, they shall beg.
If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 And they that survive of him shall utterly perish, and no one shall pity their widows.
Those of them that escape shall be buried by Death, And their widows shall not bewail them.
16 Even if he should gather silver as earth, and prepare gold as clay;
Though he heap up silver as dust, And procure raiment as clay, —
17 All these things shall the righteous gain, and the true-hearted shall possess his wealth.
He may procure, but the righteous shall wear it, And the innocent shall share the silver.
18 And his house is gone like moths, and like a spider's web.
He buildeth his house like the moth, Or like the shed which the watchman maketh.
19 The rich man shall lie down, and shall not continue: he has opened 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 Pains have come upon him as water, and darkness has carried him away by night.
Terrors pursue him like a flood; A tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21 And a burning wind shall catch him, and he shall depart, and it shall utterly drive him out of his place.
The east wind carrieth him away, and he perisheth; Yea, it sweepeth him away from his place.
22 And [God] shall cast [trouble] upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
God sendeth his arrows at him, and doth not spare; He would fain escape from His hand.
23 He shall cause [men] to clap their hands against them, and shall hiss him out of his place.
Men clap their hands at him, And hiss him away from his place.
