Job 27

1 Job replied again [to his three friends],

Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:

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

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

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

As long as my breath is in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

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

Never shall my lips speak falsehood, Nor my tongue utter deceit.

5 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.

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

6 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.

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

7 “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].

May mine enemy be as the wicked, And he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous!

8 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].

For what is the hope of the wicked, when God cutteth off his web, And taketh away his life?

9 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]

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

10 (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!]

Can he delight himself in the Almighty, And call at all times upon God?

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

I will teach you concerning the hand of God; That which is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

12 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]

Behold, ye yourselves have all seen it; Why then do ye cherish such vain thoughts?

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

This is the portion of the wicked man from God, —The inheritance which oppressors receive from the Almighty.

14 [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.

If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

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

Those of them that escape shall be buried by Death, And their widows shall not bewail them.

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

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

17 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].

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

18 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].

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

19 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.

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

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

Terrors pursue him like a flood; A tempest stealeth him away in the night.

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

The east wind carrieth him away, and he perisheth; Yea, it sweepeth him away from his place.

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

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

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

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