27 Job continued his discourse, saying:

As God lives, who has deprived me of justice,(A)
and the Almighty who has made me bitter,(B)
as long as my breath is still in me
and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,(C)
my lips will not speak unjustly,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
I will never affirm that you are right.
I will maintain my integrity[a](D) until I die.
I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.
My conscience(E) will not accuse me as long as I live!

May my enemy be like the wicked
and my opponent like the unjust.
For what hope does the godless man(F) have when he is cut off,
when God takes away his life?(G)
Will God hear his cry
when distress comes on him?
10 Will he delight(H) in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
11 I will teach you about God’s power.
I will not conceal what the Almighty has planned.[b]
12 All of you have seen this for yourselves,
why do you keep up this empty talk?(I)

13 This is a wicked man’s lot(J) from God,
the inheritance the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
14 Even if his children increase, they are destined for the sword;
his descendants will never have enough food.
15 Those who survive him will be buried by the plague,
yet their widows will not weep for them.(K)
16 Though he piles up silver like dust
and heaps up a wardrobe like clay—
17 he may heap it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and the innocent will divide up his silver.(L)
18 The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon
or a booth set up by a watchman.(M)
19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, it is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;(N)
a storm(O) wind sweeps him away at night.
21 An east wind picks him up, and he is gone;
it carries him away from his place.
22 It blasts at him without mercy,
while he flees desperately from its grasp.
23 It claps(P) its hands at him
and scorns him from its place.

Footnotes

  1. Job 27:5 Lit will not remove my integrity from me
  2. Job 27:11 Lit what is with the Almighty

Job Continues His Final Speech

27 Then[a] Job again took up his discourse and said,

As God lives,[b] he has removed my justice,
and Shaddai has made my inner self[c] bitter.
For as long as[d] my breath is in me,
and the spirit of God is in my nose,
my lips surely will not speak falseness,
and my tongue surely will not utter deceit.
Far be it from me that I would say that you[e] are right;[f]
until I pass away, I will not put away from me my blamelessness.
I hold fast to my righteousness, and I will not let it go;
my heart will not blame any of my days.
“Let my enemy be like the wicked
and my opponent like the unrighteous,
for what is the hope of the godless when he cuts them off,
when God takes away his life?
Will God hear his cry of distress
when distress comes upon him?
10 Or, in Shaddai will he find delight?
Will he call upon God at all times?
11 “I will teach you[g] about[h] God’s hand;
I will not conceal that which is with Shaddai.
12 Look, you all have seen,
and why in the world[i] have you become altogether vain?[j]
13 “This is the portion of the wicked human being with God,
and they receive from Shaddai the inheritance of the ruthless.
14 If their children multiply, it is for the sword,
and his offspring do not have enough to eat.[k]
15 Their[l] survivors are buried through[m] the plague,
and their[n] widows do not weep.
16 If he heaps up silver like the dust
and fashions clothing like the clay,
17 he makes it ready, and the righteous will wear it,
and the innocent will divide the silver.
18 “He builds his house like the moth,
and like a booth that a watchman has made.
19 He goes to bed with wealth, but[o] he will do so no more;[p]
he opens his eyes, and it is gone.[q]
20 Terrors overtake him like the water;
a storm wind carries him off in the night.
21 The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone,
and it sweeps him away from his place.
22 And it hurls at him, and it has no compassion;
he will quickly flee from its power.
23 It claps its hands over him,
and it hisses at him from its place.

Footnotes

  1. Job 27:1 Hebrew “And”
  2. Job 27:2 Literally “The life of God”
  3. Job 27:2 Or “soul”
  4. Job 27:3 Literally “all of still”
  5. Job 27:5 Plural
  6. Job 27:5 Literally “I would declare you as in the right”
  7. Job 27:11 Plural
  8. Job 27:11 Or “concerning”
  9. Job 27:12 Literally “why this”
  10. Job 27:12 Literally “vain you have become vain”
  11. Job 27:14 Literally “they are not satisfied with bread”
  12. Job 27:15 Hebrew “His”
  13. Job 27:15 Or “because of”
  14. Job 27:15 Hebrew “his”
  15. Job 27:19 Hebrew “and”
  16. Job 27:19 Literally “he will not do again”
  17. Job 27:19 Literally “it is not”