Job 27

¹Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:

²As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment, and the Almighty, who hath brought my soul to bitterness,

³As long as breath remaineth in me, and the spirit of God in my nostrils,

⁴My lips shall not speak iniquity, neither shall my tongue contrive lying.

⁵God forbid that I should judge you to be just: till I die I will not depart from my innocence.

⁶My justification, which I have begun to hold, I will not forsake: for my heart doth not reprehend me in all my life.

⁷Let my enemy be as the ungodly, and my adversary as the wicked one.

⁸For what is the hope of the hypocrite if through covetousness he take by violence, and God deliver not his soul?

⁹Will God hear his cry, when distress shall come upon him?

¹⁰Or can he delight himself in the Almighty, and call upon God at all times?

¹¹I will teach you by the hand of God, what the Almighty hath, and I will not conceal it.

¹²Behold you all know it, and why do you speak vain things without cause?

¹³This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the inheritance of the violent, which they shall receive of the Almighty.

¹⁴If his sons be multiplied, they shall be for the sword, and his grandsons shall not be filled with bread.

¹⁵They that shall remain of him, shall be buried in death, and his widows shall not weep.

¹⁶If he shall heap together silver as earth, and prepare raiment as clay,

¹⁷He shall prepare indeed, but the just man shall be clothed with it: and the innocent shall divide the silver.

¹⁸He hath built his house as a moth, and as a keeper he hath made a booth.

¹⁹The rich man when he shall sleep shall take away nothing with him: he shall open his eyes and find nothing.

²⁰Poverty like water shall take hold on him, a tempest shall oppress him in the night:

²¹A burning wind shall take him up, and carry him away, and as a whirlwind shall snatch him from his place.

²²And he shall cast upon him, and shall not spare: out of his hand he would willingly flee.

²³He shall clasp his hands upon him, and shall hiss at him, beholding his place.

¹Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

²As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;

³All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;

⁴My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

⁵God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

⁶My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

⁷Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.

⁸For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

⁹Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

¹⁰Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?

¹¹I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.

¹²Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?

¹³This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.

¹⁴If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.

¹⁶Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

¹⁷He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

¹⁸He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.

¹⁹The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

²⁰Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

²¹The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

²²For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.

²³Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.