Job 27
1 And Job addeth to lift up his simile, and saith: —
Job began to speak again.
2 God liveth! He turned aside my judgment, And the Mighty — He 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 all the while my breath [is] in me, And the spirit of God in my nostrils.
for as long as I have life, while the breath of God remains in my nostrils—
4 My lips do not speak perverseness, And my tongue doth not utter deceit.
my lips will never speak lies, my tongue will never be dishonest.
5 Pollution to me — if I justify you, Till I expire I turn not aside mine integrity from me.
I will never agree that you are right; I will insist on my innocence until the day I die.
6 On my righteousness I have laid hold, And I do not let it go, My heart doth not reproach me while 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 As the wicked is my enemy, And my withstander as the perverse.
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 profane, When He doth cut off? When God doth cast off his soul?
For what hope do those who reject God have when he cuts them down, when God brings their lives to an end?
9 His cry doth God hear, When distress cometh on him?
When times of trouble come to them, will God hear their cry for help?
10 On the Mighty doth he delight himself? Call God at all times?
Do they have a good relationship with the Almighty? Can they call on God at any time?
11 I shew you by the hand of God, That which [is] with the Mighty I hide not.
Let me explain God's power to you. I will not keep anything back that the Almighty has planned.
12 Lo, ye — all of you — have seen, And why [is] this — ye are altogether vain?
If all of you have recognized this, why do you talk such vain nonsense?
13 This [is] the portion of wicked man with God, And the inheritance of terrible ones From the Mighty they receive.
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 sons multiply — for them [is] a sword. And his offspring [are] not satisfied [with] bread.
even if they have many children, they will experience violent deaths or die of starvation.
15 His remnant in death are buried, And his widows do not weep.
Those who survive will die from disease, and even their widows will not mourn for them.
16 If he heap up as dust silver, And as clay prepare clothing,
Even though they pile up silver like dust, and clothes like heaps of clay,
17 He prepareth — and the righteous putteth [it] on, And the silver the innocent doth apportion.
those who do good will wear the clothes and the innocent will divide the silver among them.
18 He hath built as a moth his house, And as a booth a watchman hath made.
They build their houses like a moth; like some flimsy shelter made by a watchman.
19 Rich he lieth down, and he is not gathered, His eyes he hath opened, and he is not.
They go to bed rich, but never again! For when they wake up, it's all gone.
20 Overtake him as waters do terrors, By night stolen him away hath a whirlwind.
Waves of panic flood over them; in the night a whirlwind snatches them away.
21 Take him up doth an east wind, and he goeth, And it frighteneth him from his place,
The east wind picks them up and they're gone, carried away from where they were.
22 And it casteth at him, and doth not spare, From its hand he diligently fleeth.
The wind blows at them with full force; they try desperately to escape.
23 It clappeth at him its hands, And it hisseth at him from his place.
People clap their hands at them and hiss at them wherever they are.
