Job 27
1 Job resumed speaking and he said,
Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has taken away my justice, the Almighty, who made my life bitter,
As God liveth, who hath rejected my cause, And the Almighty, who hath afflicted my soul;
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 is in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips will not speak wickedness, neither will my tongue speak deceit;
Never shall my lips speak falsehood, Nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 I will never admit that you three are right; until I die I will never deny my integrity.
God forbid that I should acknowledge you to be just: To my last breath will I assert my integrity.
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 hold fast my innocence, and not let it go; My heart reproacheth me for no part of my life.
7 Let my enemy be like a wicked man; let him who rises up against me be like an unrighteous man.
May mine enemy be as the wicked, And he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous!
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 wicked, when God cutteth off his web, And taketh away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him?
Will he listen to his cry, When trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty and call upon God at all times?
Can he delight himself in the Almighty, And call at all times upon God?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God; I will not conceal the thoughts of the Almighty.
I will teach you concerning the hand of God; That which is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 See, all of you have seen this yourselves; why then have you spoken all this nonsense?
Behold, ye yourselves have all seen it; Why then do ye cherish such vain thoughts?
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 wicked man from God, —The inheritance which oppressors receive from the Almighty.
14 If his children multiply, it is for the sword; his offspring will never have enough food.
If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who survive him will be buried by plague, and their widows will make no lament for them.
Those of them that escape shall be buried by Death, And their widows shall not bewail them.
16 Though the wicked man heaps up silver like the dust, and heaps up clothing like clay,
Though he heap up silver as dust, And procure raiment 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 may procure, but the righteous shall wear it, And the innocent shall share the silver.
18 He builds his house like a spider, like a hut that a guard makes.
He buildeth his house like the moth, Or like the shed which the watchman maketh.
19 He lies down in bed rich, but he will not keep doing so; he opens his eyes, and everything is gone.
The rich man lieth down, and is not buried; In the twinkling of an eye he is no more.
20 Terrors overtake him like waters; a storm takes him away in the night.
Terrors pursue him like a flood; A tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he leaves; it sweeps him out of his place.
The east wind carrieth him away, and he perisheth; Yea, it sweepeth him away from his place.
22 It throws itself at him and does not stop; he tries to flee out of its hand.
God sendeth his arrows at him, and doth not spare; He would fain escape from His hand.
23 It claps its hands at him in mockery; it hisses him out of his place.
Men clap their hands at him, And hiss him away from his place.
