Job 27

1 And Job further continued and said in his parable,

And Job again took up the word and said,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

6 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.

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

7 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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