JobChapter 27

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¹Job went on speaking: ²"As surely as God lives, who has taken away my right to justice,
and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, ³as long as I still have breath in me,
and the breath of God is still in my nose, ⁴my lips won't speak evil.
My tongue won't tell lies. ⁵I will never say that you men are right.
I will hold on to my integrity until I die. ⁶I will hold tight to my righteousness and never let it go.
As long as I live, my conscience will not blame me. ⁷May my enemy be treated like the wicked.
May the one against me be treated like the unjust. ⁸What hope does the godless man have when he is cut off?
What hope does he have when God takes away his life? ⁹Will God hear his cry
when trouble comes on him? ¹⁰Will he find joy in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times? ¹¹I will teach you about the power of God.
I won't hide the ways of the Almighty. ¹²Surely all of you have seen it for yourselves.
So why do you keep up this empty talk? ¹³This is what God gives the wicked man.
It is what cruel people receive from the Almighty. ¹⁴He may have many sons, but they will die by the sword.
His children will never have enough food. ¹⁵Those who live after him will be buried by disease.
Their widows won't weep for them. ¹⁶He may pile up silver like dust.
He may pile up clothes like clay. ¹⁷But righteous people will wear what he stores up.
Innocent people will divide up his silver. ¹⁸The house he built is like a moth's cocoon.
It is like a shelter put up by a guard in a field. ¹⁹He lies down rich, but he will never do it again.
When he opens his eyes, everything is gone. ²⁰Terrors sweep over him like a flood.
A storm carries him away in the night. ²¹The east wind picks him up, and he is gone.
It sweeps him out of his place. ²²It throws itself against him without mercy.
He runs as fast as he can from its power. ²³It claps its hands at him.
It hisses at him and drives him from his place.