Job 27

1 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:

Job began to speak again.

2 As God liveth, who hath rejected my cause, And the Almighty, who hath afflicted my soul;

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

3 As long as 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 Never shall my lips speak falsehood, Nor my tongue utter deceit.

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

5 God forbid that I should acknowledge you to be just: To my last breath will I assert my integrity.

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

6 I will hold fast my innocence, and not let it go; My heart reproacheth me for no part of my life.

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 May 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 wicked, when God cutteth off his web, And taketh away his life?

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

9 Will he listen to his cry, When trouble cometh upon him?

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

10 Can he delight himself in the Almighty, And call at all times 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; That which is with the Almighty I will 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; Why then do ye cherish such vain thoughts?

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

13 This is the portion of the wicked man from God, —The inheritance which oppressors 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 of them that escape shall be buried by Death, And their widows shall not bewail them.

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

16 Though he heap up silver as dust, And procure raiment as clay, —

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

17 He may procure, but the righteous shall wear it, And the innocent shall share the silver.

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

18 He buildeth his house like the moth, Or like the shed which the watchman maketh.

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

19 The rich man lieth down, and is not buried; In the twinkling of an eye he is no more.

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

20 Terrors pursue him like a flood; A tempest 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 perisheth; Yea, it sweepeth him away from his place.

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

22 God sendeth his arrows at him, and doth not spare; He would fain escape from His hand.

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

23 Men clap their hands at him, And hiss him away from his place.

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