Job 27
1 Job again took up his parable, and said,
And Job adds to lift up his allegory and says:
2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right, the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter
“God lives! He turned aside my judgment, And the Mighty—He made my soul bitter.
3 (for the length of my life is still in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
For all the while my breath [is] in me, And the wind of God in my nostrils.
4 surely my lips will not speak unrighteousness, neither will my tongue utter deceit.
My lips do not speak perverseness, And my tongue does not utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
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 heart 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 as the wicked. Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
My enemy is as the wicked, And my withstander as the perverse.
8 For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut 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 on him?
[Does] God hear his cry, When distress comes on him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty, and call on God at all times?
Does he delight himself on the Mighty? Call God at all times?
11 I will teach you about the hand of God. I will not conceal that which is with the Almighty.
I show you by the hand of God, That which [is] with the Mighty I do not hide.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?
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 oppressors, which they receive 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 are multiplied, it is for the sword. His offspring will not be satisfied with bread.
If his sons multiply—a sword [is] for them. And his offspring [are] not satisfied [with] bread.
15 Those who remain of him will be buried in death. His widows will make no lamentation.
His remnant are buried in death, And his widows do not weep.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;
If he heaps up silver as dust, And prepares clothing as clay,
17 he may prepare it, but the just will put it on, and the innocent will divide the silver.
He prepares—and the righteous puts [it] on, And the innocent apportions the silver.
18 He builds his house as the moth, as a booth which the watchman makes.
He has built his house as a moth, And as a shelter a watchman has made.
19 He lies down rich, but he will not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.
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 steals 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 departs. It sweeps him out of his place.
An east wind takes him up, and he goes, And it frightens him from his place,
22 For it hurls at him, and does not spare, as he flees away from his hand.
And it casts at him, and does not spare, He diligently flees from its hand.
23 Men will clap their hands at him, and will hiss him out of his place.
It claps its hands at him, And it hisses at him from his place.”
