Job 27
1 Job again took up his parable, and said,
Job began to speak again.
2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right, the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter
“I promise you—as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,
3 (for the length of my life is still in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
for as long as I have life, while the breath of God remains in my nostrils—
4 surely my lips will not speak unrighteousness, neither will my tongue utter deceit.
my lips will never speak lies, my tongue will never be dishonest.
5 Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
I will never agree that you are right; I will insist on my innocence until the day I die.
6 I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go. My heart will not reproach me so long as I live.
I'm convinced I'm right and will never give up believing this; my conscience will not condemn me as long as I live.
7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked. Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
May my enemy become like the wicked; may those who oppose me become like those who do evil.
8 For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
For what hope do those who reject God have when he cuts them down, when God brings their lives to an end?
9 Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?
When times of trouble come to them, will God hear their cry for help?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty, and call on God at all times?
Do they have a good relationship with the Almighty? Can they call on God at any time?
11 I will teach you about the hand of God. I will not conceal that which is with the Almighty.
Let me explain God's power to you. I will not keep anything back that the Almighty has planned.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?
If all of you have recognized this, why do you talk such vain nonsense?
13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty.
This is what God provides as the destiny for the wicked, this is the inheritance that the ruthless will receive from the Almighty—
14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword. His offspring will not be satisfied with bread.
even if they have many children, they will experience violent deaths or die of starvation.
15 Those who remain of him will be buried in death. His widows will make no lamentation.
Those who survive will die from disease, and even their widows will not mourn for them.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;
Even though they pile up silver like dust, and clothes like heaps of clay,
17 he may prepare it, but the just will put it on, and the innocent will divide the silver.
those who do good will wear the clothes and the innocent will divide the silver among them.
18 He builds his house as the moth, as a booth which the watchman makes.
They build their houses like a moth; like some flimsy shelter made by a watchman.
19 He lies down rich, but he will not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.
They go to bed rich, but never again! For when they wake up, it's all gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like waters. A storm steals him away in the night.
Waves of panic flood over them; in the night a whirlwind snatches them away.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he departs. It sweeps him out of his place.
The east wind picks them up and they're gone, carried away from where they were.
22 For it hurls at him, and does not spare, as he flees away from his hand.
The wind blows at them with full force; they try desperately to escape.
23 Men will clap their hands at him, and will hiss him out of his place.
People clap their hands at them and hiss at them wherever they are.
