Job 27
1 And Job adds to lift up his allegory and says:
Job continued his discourse:
2 “God lives! He turned aside my judgment, And the Mighty—He made my soul bitter.
“As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice— the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—
3 For all the while my breath [is] in me, And the wind of God in my nostrils.
as long as my breath is still within me and the breath of God remains in my nostrils,
4 My lips do not speak perverseness, And my tongue does not utter deceit.
my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5 Defilement to me—if I justify you, Until I expire I do not turn aside my integrity from me.
I will never say that you are right; I will maintain my integrity until I die.
6 On my righteousness I have laid hold, And I do not let it go, My heart does not reproach me while I live.
I will cling to my righteousness and never let go. As long as I live, my conscience will not accuse me.
7 My enemy is as the wicked, And my withstander as the perverse.
May my enemy be like the wicked and my opponent like the unjust.
8 For what [is] the hope of the profane, When He cuts off? When God casts off his soul?
For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
9 [Does] God hear his cry, When distress comes on him?
Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him?
10 Does he delight himself on the Mighty? Call God at all times?
Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I show you by the hand of God, That which [is] with the Mighty I do not hide.
I will instruct you in the power of God. I will not conceal the ways of the Almighty.
12 Behold, you—all of you—have seen, And why [is] this—you are altogether vain?
Surely all of you have seen it for yourselves. Why then do you keep up this empty talk?
13 This [is] the portion of wicked man with God, And the inheritance of terrible ones They receive from the Mighty.
This is the wicked man’s portion from God— the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
14 If his sons multiply—a sword [is] for them. And his offspring [are] not satisfied [with] bread.
Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; and his offspring will never have enough food.
15 His remnant are buried in death, And his widows do not weep.
His survivors will be buried by the plague, and their widows will not weep for them.
16 If he heaps up silver as dust, And prepares clothing as clay,
Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay,
17 He prepares—and the righteous puts [it] on, And the innocent apportions the silver.
what he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.
18 He has built his house as a moth, And as a shelter a watchman has made.
The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon, like a hut set up by a watchman.
19 He lies down rich, and he is not gathered, He has opened his eyes, and he is not.
He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him as waters, By night a whirlwind has stolen him away.
Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest sweeps him away in the night.
21 An east wind takes him up, and he goes, And it frightens him from his place,
The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
22 And it casts at him, and does not spare, He diligently flees from its hand.
It hurls itself against him without mercy as he flees headlong from its power.
23 It claps its hands at him, And it hisses at him from his place.”
It claps its hands at him and hisses him out of his place.
