Job 27

1 Job replied again [to his three friends],

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,

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

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

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.

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.

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].

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].

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]

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!]

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

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]

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

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.

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

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].

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].

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.

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

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

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

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