Job 27
1 Job resumed speaking and he said,
And Job adds to lift up his allegory and says:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has taken away my justice, the Almighty, who made my life bitter,
“God lives! He turned aside my judgment, And the Mighty—He made my soul bitter.
3 while my life is yet in me, and the breath from God is in my nostrils, this is what I will do.
For all the while my breath [is] in me, And the wind of God in my nostrils.
4 My lips will not speak wickedness, neither will my tongue speak deceit;
My lips do not speak perverseness, And my tongue does not utter deceit.
5 I will never admit that you three are right; until I die I will never deny my integrity.
Defilement to me—if I justify you, Until I expire I do not turn aside my integrity from me.
6 I hold fast to my righteousness and will not let it go; my thoughts will not reproach me so long as I live.
On my righteousness I have laid hold, And I do not let it go, My heart does not reproach me while I live.
7 Let my enemy be like a wicked man; let him who rises up against me be like an unrighteous man.
My enemy is as the wicked, And my withstander as the perverse.
8 For what is the hope of a godless man when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?
For what [is] the hope of the profane, When He cuts off? When God casts off his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?
[Does] God hear his cry, When distress comes on him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty and call upon God at all times?
Does he delight himself on the Mighty? Call God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God; I will not conceal the thoughts of the Almighty.
I show you by the hand of God, That which [is] with the Mighty I do not hide.
12 See, all of you have seen this yourselves; why then have you spoken all this nonsense?
Behold, you—all of you—have seen, And why [is] this—you are altogether vain?
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 wicked man with God, And the inheritance of terrible ones They receive from the Mighty.
14 If his children multiply, it is for the sword; his offspring will never have enough food.
If his sons multiply—a sword [is] for them. And his offspring [are] not satisfied [with] bread.
15 Those who survive him will be buried by plague, and their widows will make no lament for them.
His remnant are buried in death, And his widows do not weep.
16 Though the wicked man heaps up silver like the dust, and heaps up clothing like clay,
If he heaps up silver as dust, And prepares clothing as clay,
17 he may heap up clothing, but righteous people will put it on, and innocent people will divide up the silver among themselves.
He prepares—and the righteous puts [it] on, And the innocent apportions the silver.
18 He builds his house like a spider, like a hut that a guard makes.
He has built his house as a moth, And as a shelter a watchman has made.
19 He lies down in bed rich, but he will not keep doing so; he opens his eyes, and everything is gone.
He lies down rich, and he is not gathered, He has opened his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors overtake him like waters; a storm takes him away in the night.
Terrors overtake him as waters, By night a whirlwind has stolen him away.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he leaves; it sweeps him out of his place.
An east wind takes him up, and he goes, And it frightens him from his place,
22 It throws itself at him and does not stop; he tries to flee out of its hand.
And it casts at him, and does not spare, He diligently flees from its hand.
23 It claps its hands at him in mockery; it hisses him out of his place.
It claps its hands at him, And it hisses at him from his place.”
