Job 27

Job Affirms His Righteousness

1 Job again took up his ^adiscourse and said,

2 “As God lives, ^bwho has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, ^cwho has embittered my soul,
3 For as long as ▼

▼Lit breath

life is in me,
And the ▼

▼Or spirit

, ^fbreath of God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will ^gmy tongue mutter deceit.
5 “Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Until I die, ^hI will not ▼

▼Lit remove from me

give up my integrity.
6 “I have ^jkept hold of my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not rebuke any of my days.

The State of the Godless

7 “May my enemy be as the wicked,
And ▼

▼Lit one who rises up against me

my opponent as the criminal.
8 “For what is ^lthe hope of the godless when he makes an end of life,
When God requires ^mhis ▼

▼Or soul

life?
9 “Will God ^ohear his cry
When ^pdistress comes upon him?
10 “Or will he take ^qpleasure in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 “I will instruct you in the ▼

▼Lit hand

power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 “Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you talk of nothing?

13 “This is ^sthe portion of a wicked person from God,
And the inheritance which ^ttyrants receive from the Almighty:
14 Though his sons are many, ▼

▼Lit the sword is for them

they are destined ^vfor the sword;
And his ^wdescendants will not be satisfied with bread.
15 “His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And ▼

▼As in ancient versions; Heb his

their ^ywidows will not be able to weep.
16 “Though he piles up silver like dust,
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,
17 He may prepare it, ^zbut the righteous will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18 “He has built his ^aahouse like the ▼

▼As in ancient versions; Heb moth

spider’s web,
Or a hut which the watchman has made.
19 “He lies down rich, but never ▼

▼As in ancient versions; Heb will be gathered

again;
He opens his eyes, and ^adit no longer exists.
20 “ ^aeTerrors overtake him like a flood;
A storm steals him away ^afin the night.
21 “The east ^agwind carries him away, and he is gone;
For it sweeps him ^ahaway from his place.
22 “For it will hurl at him ^aiwithout mercy;
He will certainly try to ^ajflee from its ▼

▼Lit hand

power.
23 “People will ▼

▼I.e., mock and ridicule him

clap their hands at him,
And will ^amwhistle at him from their places.