Job 27

¹Job continued his discourse, saying:

²As God lives, who has deprived me of justice, ^a

and the Almighty who has made me bitter, ^b

³as long as my breath is still in me

and the breath from God remains in my nostrils, ^c

⁴my lips will not speak unjustly,

and my tongue will not utter deceit.

⁵I will never affirm that you are right.

I will maintain my integrity ^d,^e until I die.

⁶I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.

My conscience ^f will not accuse me as long as I live!

⁷May my enemy be like the wicked

and my opponent like the unjust.

⁸For what hope does the godless person ^g have when he is cut off,

when God takes away his life? ^h

⁹Will God hear his cry

when distress comes on him?

¹⁰Will he delight ⁱ in the Almighty?

Will he call on God at all times?

¹¹I will teach you about God’s power.

I will not conceal what the Almighty has planned. ^j

¹²All of you have seen this for yourselves,

why do you keep up this empty talk? ^k

¹³This is a wicked man’s lot ^l from God,

the inheritance the ruthless receive from the Almighty.

¹⁴Even if his children increase, they are destined for the sword;

his descendants will never have enough food.

¹⁵Those who survive him will be buried by the plague,

yet their widows will not weep for them. ^m

¹⁶Though he piles up silver like dust

and heaps up fine clothing like clay —

¹⁷he may heap it up, but the righteous will wear it,

and the innocent will divide up his silver. ⁿ

¹⁸The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon

or a shelter set up by a watchman. ^o

¹⁹He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;

when he opens his eyes, it is gone.

²⁰Terrors overtake him like a flood; ^p

a storm ^q wind sweeps him away at night.

²¹An east wind picks him up, and he is gone;

it carries him away from his place.

²²It blasts at him without mercy,

while he flees desperately from its force.

²³It claps ^r its hands at him

and scoffs at him from its place.