Job 27:7–23

The State of the Godless

⁷“May my enemy be as the wicked

And ¹my opponent as the unjust.

⁸“For what is ^athe hope of the godless ¹when he is cut off,

When God requires ^bhis ²life?

⁹“Will God ^ahear his cry

When ^bdistress comes upon him?

¹⁰“Will he take ^adelight in the Almighty?

Will he call on God at all times?

¹¹“I will instruct you in the ¹power of God;

What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

¹²“Behold, all of you have seen it;

Why then do you ¹act foolishly?

¹³“This is ^athe portion of a wicked man from God,

And the inheritance which ^btyrants receive from the Almighty.

¹⁴“Though his sons are many, ¹they are destined ^afor the sword;

And his ^bdescendants will not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵“His survivors will be buried because of the plague,

And ¹their ^awidows will not be able to weep.

¹⁶“Though he piles up silver like dust

And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,

¹⁷He may prepare it, ^abut the just will wear it

And the innocent will divide the silver.

¹⁸“He has built his ^ahouse like the ¹spider’s web,

Or as a hut which the watchman has made.

¹⁹“He lies down rich, but never ¹again;

He opens his eyes, and ^ait is no longer.

²⁰“^aTerrors overtake him like a flood;

A tempest steals him away ^bin the night.

²¹“The east ^awind carries him away, and he is gone,

For it whirls him ^baway from his place.

²²“For it will hurl at him ^awithout sparing;

He will surely try to ^bflee from its ¹power.

²³“Men will clap their hands at him

And will ^ahiss him from his place.