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Round Three: Job’s Third Speech

27 After a pause,[a] Job began to present this discourse:

As God lives, he has deprived me of justice.
The Almighty has made my life[b] bitter.
Yes, as long as the breath of life is still in me,
as long as the breath from God is still in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will not murmur deception.
May I be cursed if I ever admit you are right.
Until I die, I will never deny my integrity.
I have held tight to my righteousness,
and I will not let it go.
My conscience[c] will not accuse me as long as I live.

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Footnotes

  1. Job 27:1 The words after a pause are not in the Hebrew text, but this is the location for Zophar’s third turn to speak. Zophar, however, sits in silence, and the debate comes to an end. The next speaker to respond to Job will be Elihu son of Barakel, beginning at 32:5.
  2. Job 27:2 Or soul
  3. Job 27:6 Literally heart

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.

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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”