Job 27

1 And Job addeth to lift up his simile, and saith: —

Job replied again [to his three friends],

2 God liveth! He turned aside my judgment, And the Mighty — He made my soul bitter.

“Almighty God has refused to treat me justly/fairly. He has caused me to feel bitter/resentful. But [just as surely] as he lives,

3 For all the while my breath [is] in me, And the spirit of God in my nostrils.

as long as God’s Spirit enables me to breathe,

4 My lips do not speak perverseness, And my tongue doth not utter deceit.

I will not lie; I [SYN] will not say anything to deceive anyone.

5 Pollution to me — if I justify you, Till I expire I turn not aside mine integrity from me.

I will never admit that what you [three] have said is true; until the day that I die, I will insist that I have not done things that are wrong.

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 will say that I am innocent, and never (say anything different/change what I say); my conscience will never reproach me as long as I live.

7 As the wicked is my enemy, And my withstander as the perverse.

“I want my enemies to be [punished] like all wicked [people are punished]; I want [God to punish] those who oppose me like [he punishes all] unrighteous [people].

8 For what [is] the hope of the profane, When He doth cut off? When God doth cast off his soul?

When [it is time for] God [to] get rid of godless/wicked people and [to] cause them to die, there is absolutely nothing good [RHQ] that they can confidently expect [to happen to them].

9 His cry doth God hear, When distress cometh on him?

When they experience troubles, (will God hear them call [out to him for help]?/God certainly will not hear them call out [to him for help].) [RHQ]

10 On the Mighty doth he delight himself? Call God at all times?

(Will they be happy about what Almighty [God] does?/They certainly will not be happy about what Almighty [God] does.) [RHQ] (Will they [begin to] pray to him frequently?/They certainly will not [begin to] pray to him frequently.) [RHQ] [Certainly not!]

11 I shew you by the hand of God, That which [is] with the Mighty I hide not.

“I will teach you [three] something about the power [MTY] of Almighty God [MTY]; I will reveal what he is thinking.

12 Lo, ye — all of you — have seen, And why [is] this — ye are altogether vain?

But you [three] have seen for yourselves [what God has done]; so (why are you saying such nonsense?/you should not be saying such nonsense.) [RHQ]

13 This [is] the portion of wicked man with God, And the inheritance of terrible ones From the Mighty they receive.

“[I will tell you] what Almighty God does to wicked people, the things that he does to people who oppress others.

14 If his sons multiply — for them [is] a sword. And his offspring [are] not satisfied [with] bread.

[Even] if they have many children, [many of] those children will die in wars [MTY], and their [other] children will [die because they do] not have enough food to eat.

15 His remnant in death are buried, And his widows do not weep.

Their children who are still alive will die from diseases, and their widows will not [even] mourn for them.

16 If he heap up as dust silver, And as clay prepare clothing,

Sometimes [wicked people] accumulate a huge amount [SIM] of silver and pile up clothes like [SIM] those clothes were a pile of clay,

17 He prepareth — and the righteous putteth [it] on, And the silver the innocent doth apportion.

but [those wicked people will die, and then] righteous people will wear those clothes, and honest/innocent people will get their silver and divide it [among themselves].

18 He hath built as a moth his house, And as a booth a watchman hath made.

The houses that they build are [as frail/fragile] as [SIM] spider webs, or they are like flimsy huts that watchmen live in [while they guard people’s fields].

19 Rich he lieth down, and he is not gathered, His eyes he hath opened, and he is not.

Wicked people are rich when they lie down [at night], but when they wake up [in the morning, they find out that] their money has disappeared.

20 Overtake him as waters do terrors, By night stolen him away hath a whirlwind.

“Things that terrify them [PRS] strike them like a flood [SIM]; during the night a whirlwind carries them away.

21 Take him up doth an east wind, and he goeth, And it frighteneth him from his place,

[It is as though] the wind from the east picks them up and carries them away from their homes, and they disappear.

22 And it casteth at him, and doth not spare, From its hand he diligently fleeth.

That wind strikes them without pitying them while they are running away, trying to escape from its force/power [MTY].

23 It clappeth at him its hands, And it hisseth at him from his place.

That wind [is like someone] clapping his hands [MET] at them [to ridicule them], howling at them wherever they run to.”