Job 27
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Job Maintains His Integrity
27 Job again took up his discourse and said:(A)
2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right,
and the Almighty,[a] who has made my soul bitter,(B)
3 as long as my breath is in me
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.(C)
5 Far be it from me to say that you are right;
until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.(D)
6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
my heart will not reproach me as long as I live.(E)
7 “May my enemy be like the wicked,
and may my opponent be like the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts them off,
when God takes away their lives?(F)
9 Will God hear their cry
when trouble comes upon them?(G)
10 Will they take delight in the Almighty?[b]
Will they call upon God at all times?(H)
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
that which is with the Almighty[c] I will not conceal.
12 All of you have seen it yourselves;
why then have you become altogether vain?
13 “This is the portion of the wicked with God
and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:[d](I)
14 If their children are multiplied, it is for the sword,
and their offspring have not enough to eat.(J)
15 Those who survive them the pestilence buries,
and their widows make no lamentation.(K)
16 Though they heap up silver like dust
and pile up clothing like clay,(L)
17 they may pile it up, but the just will wear it,
and the innocent will divide the silver.(M)
18 They build their houses like nests,
like booths made by sentinels of the vineyard.
19 They go to bed with wealth but will do so no more;
they open their eyes, and it is gone.(N)
20 Terrors overtake them like a flood;
in the night a whirlwind carries them off.(O)
21 The east wind lifts them up, and they are gone;
it sweeps them out of their place.(P)
22 It[e] hurls at them without pity;
they flee from its[f] power in headlong flight.(Q)
23 It[g] claps its[h] hands at them
and hisses at them from its[i] place.(R)
Job 27
New Living Translation
Job’s Final Speech
27 Job continued speaking:
2 “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights,
by the Almighty who has embittered my soul—
3 As long as I live,
while I have breath from God,
4 my lips will speak no evil,
and my tongue will speak no lies.
5 I will never concede that you are right;
I will defend my integrity until I die.
6 I will maintain my innocence without wavering.
My conscience is clear for as long as I live.
7 “May my enemy be punished like the wicked,
my adversary like those who do evil.
8 For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off
and takes away their life?
9 Will God listen to their cry
when trouble comes upon them?
10 Can they take delight in the Almighty?
Can they call to God at any time?
11 I will teach you about God’s power.
I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty.
12 But you have seen all this,
yet you say all these useless things to me.
13 “This is what the wicked will receive from God;
this is their inheritance from the Almighty.
14 They may have many children,
but the children will die in war or starve to death.
15 Those who survive will die of a plague,
and not even their widows will mourn them.
16 “Evil people may have piles of money
and may store away mounds of clothing.
17 But the righteous will wear that clothing,
and the innocent will divide that money.
18 The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web,[a]
as flimsy as a shelter made of branches.
19 The wicked go to bed rich
but wake to find that all their wealth is gone.
20 Terror overwhelms them like a flood,
and they are blown away in the storms of the night.
21 The east wind carries them away, and they are gone.
It sweeps them away.
22 It whirls down on them without mercy.
They struggle to flee from its power.
23 But everyone jeers at them
and mocks them.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
