Job 27

1 Job resumed speaking and he said,

Job also added to this, using figures of speech, and he said:

2 “As surely as God lives, who has taken away my justice, the Almighty, who made my life bitter,

As God lives, who has taken away my judgment, and the Almighty, who has led my soul to bitterness,

3 while my life is yet in me, and the breath from God is in my nostrils, this is what I will do.

as long as my breath remains in me and the breath of God remains in my nostrils,

4 My lips will not speak wickedness, neither will my tongue speak deceit;

my lips will not speak iniquity, nor will my tongue devise lies.

5 I will never admit that you three are right; until I die I will never deny my integrity.

Far be it from me that I should judge you to be right, for, until I expire, I will not withdraw from my innocence.

6 I hold fast to my righteousness and will not let it go; my thoughts will not reproach me so long as I live.

I will not forsake my justification, which I have just begun to grasp, for my heart does not find blame for me in my whole life.

7 Let my enemy be like a wicked man; let him who rises up against me be like an unrighteous man.

Let the impious be as my enemy, and the sinful, as my adversary.

8 For what is the hope of a godless man when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?

For what hope is there for the hypocrite, if he greedily plunders and God does not free his soul?

9 Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?

Will God pay attention to his cry, when anguish overcomes him?

10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty and call upon God at all times?

Or will he take delight in the Almighty and call upon God at all times?

11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God; I will not conceal the thoughts of the Almighty.

I will teach you through the hand of God, what the Almighty holds, and I will not conceal it.

12 See, all of you have seen this yourselves; why then have you spoken all this nonsense?

Behold, you know all this, and so why do you speak vain things without a reason?

13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God, the heritage of the oppressor that he receives from the Almighty:

This is the portion of the impious man with God, and the inheritance of the violent, which they will receive from the Almighty.

14 If his children multiply, it is for the sword; his offspring will never have enough food.

If his sons should happen to increase, they will be for the sword, and his grandsons will not be satisfied with bread.

15 Those who survive him will be buried by plague, and their widows will make no lament for them.

Whatever will remain of him will be buried in the ruins, and his widows will not weep.

16 Though the wicked man heaps up silver like the dust, and heaps up clothing like clay,

If he will amass silver as if it were dirt and fabricate garments as if they were clay,

17 he may heap up clothing, but righteous people will put it on, and innocent people will divide up the silver among themselves.

then yes, he will gather, but the just will be clothed with it and the innocent will divide the silver.

18 He builds his house like a spider, like a hut that a guard makes.

He has built his house like a moth, and he has made a makeshift shelter like a sentry.

19 He lies down in bed rich, but he will not keep doing so; he opens his eyes, and everything is gone.

When he falls asleep, the rich man will leave him with nothing; he will open his eyes and find nothing.

20 Terrors overtake him like waters; a storm takes him away in the night.

Destitution will surround him like water; a storm will overwhelm him in the night.

21 The east wind carries him away, and he leaves; it sweeps him out of his place.

A burning wind will pick him up and carry him away, and, like a whirlwind, it will rush him from his place.

22 It throws itself at him and does not stop; he tries to flee out of its hand.

And it will hurl over him and will not spare him; fleeing from its power, he will go into exile.

23 It claps its hands at him in mockery; it hisses him out of his place.

He will clasp his hands over himself, and he will hiss at himself, while considering his situation.