Job 27

1 And Job again took up the word and said,

And Job further continued and said in his parable,

2 By the life of God, who has taken away my right; and of the Ruler of all, who has made my soul bitter;

[As] God lives, who has thus judge me; and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul;

3 (For all my breath is still in me, and the spirit of God is my life; )

verily, while my breath is yet in [me], and the breath of God which remains to me is in my nostrils,

4 Truly, there is no deceit in my lips, and my tongue does not say what is false.

my lips shall not speak evil words, neither shall my soul meditate unrighteous thoughts.

5 Let it be far from me! I will certainly not say that you are right! I will come to death before I give up my righteousness.

Far be it from me that I should justify you till I die; for I will not let go my innocence,

6 I will keep it safe, and will not let it go: my heart has nothing to say against any part of my life.

but keeping fast to [my] righteousness I will by no means let it go: for I am not conscious to myself of having done any thing amiss.

7 Let my hater be like the evil man, and let him who comes against me be as the sinner.

Nay rather, but let mine enemies be as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me, as the destruction of transgressors.

8 For what is the hope of the sinner when he is cut off, when God takes back his soul?

For what is the hope of the ungodly, that he holds to it? will he indeed trust in the Lord [and] be saved?

9 Will his cry come to the ears of God when he is in trouble?

Will God hear his prayer? or, when distress has come upon him,

10 Will he take delight in the Ruler of all, and make his prayer to God at all times?

has he any confidence before him? or will [God] hear him as he calls upon him?

11 I will give you teaching about the hand of God; I will not keep secret from you what is in the mind of the Ruler of all.

Yet now I will tell you what is in the hand of the Lord: I will not lie concerning the things which are with the Almighty.

12 Truly, you have all seen it yourselves; why then have you become completely foolish?

Behold, you all know that you are adding vanity to vanity.

13 This is the punishment of the evil-doer from God, and the heritage given to the cruel by the Ruler of all.

This is the portion of an ungodly man from the Lord, and the possession of oppressors shall come upon them from the Almighty.

14 If his children are increased, it is for the sword; and his offspring have not enough bread.

And if their children be many, they shall be for slaughter: and if they grow up, they shall beg.

15 When those of his house who are still living come to their end by disease, they are not put into the earth, and their widows are not weeping for them.

And they that survive of him shall utterly perish, and no one shall pity their widows.

16 Though he may get silver together like dust, and make ready great stores of clothing;

Even if he should gather silver as earth, and prepare gold as clay;

17 He may get them ready, but the upright will put them on, and he who is free from sin will take the silver for a heritage.

All these things shall the righteous gain, and the true-hearted shall possess his wealth.

18 His house has no more strength than a spider's thread, or a watchman's tent.

And his house is gone like moths, and like a spider's web.

19 He goes to rest full of wealth, but does so for the last time: on opening his eyes, he sees it there no longer.

The rich man shall lie down, and shall not continue: he has opened his eyes, and he is not.

20 Fears overtake him like rushing waters; in the night the storm-wind takes him away.

Pains have come upon him as water, and darkness has carried him away by night.

21 The east wind takes him up and he is gone; he is forced violently out of his place.

And a burning wind shall catch him, and he shall depart, and it shall utterly drive him out of his place.

22 God sends his arrows against him without mercy; he goes in flight before his hand.

And [God] shall cast [trouble] upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.

23 Men make signs of joy because of him, driving him from his place with sounds of hissing.

He shall cause [men] to clap their hands against them, and shall hiss him out of his place.