Job 27
1 And Job further continued and said
in his parable,
2 As God
lives, who has thus judged me; and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul;
3 verily, while my breath is yet in
me, and the breath of God which remains to me is in
my nostrils, 4 my lips shall not speak
evil words, neither shall my soul meditate unrighteous thoughts.
5 Far be it from me that I should
justify you till I die; for I will not let go my innocence,
6 but keeping fast to
my righteousness I will by no means let it go: for I
am not conscious to myself of having done any thing amiss.
7 Nay rather, but let mine enemies be
as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me, as the
destruction of transgressors.
8 For what is the hope of the ungodly,
that he holds to it? will he indeed trust in the Lord
and be saved?
9 Will God hear his prayer? or, when
distress has come upon him, 10 has he
any confidence before him? or will God hear him as he
calls upon him?
11 Yet now I will tell you what is in
the hand of the Lord: I will not lie concerning the things which are with the
Almighty. 12 Behold, ye all know that
ye are adding vanity to vanity.
13 This is the portion of an ungodly
man from the Lord, and the possession of oppressors shall come upon them from
the Almighty. 14 And if their
children be many, they shall be for slaughter: and if they grow up, they shall
beg. 15 And they that survive of him
shall utterly perish, and no one shall pity their widows.
16 Even if he should gather silver as
earth, and prepare gold as clay;
17 all these things shall the
righteous gain, and the truehearted shall possess his wealth.
18 And his house is gone like moths,
and like a spider's web. 19 The rich
man shall lie down, and shall not continue: he has opened his eyes, and he is
not. 20 Pains have come upon him as
water, and darkness has carried him away by night.
21 And a burning wind shall catch
him, and he shall depart, and it shall utterly drive him out of his place.
22 And
God shall cast trouble upon
him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23 He shall cause
men to clap their hands against them, and shall hiss
him out of his place.