Job 27

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

And Job continued his discourse:^a

“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,^b

the Almighty,^c who has made my life bitter,^d

as long as I have life within me,

the breath of God^e in my nostrils,

my lips will not say anything wicked,

and my tongue will not utter lies.^f

I will never admit you are in the right;

till I die, I will not deny my integrity.^g

I will maintain my innocence^h and never let go of it;

my conscienceⁱ will not reproach me as long as I live.^j

“May my enemies be like the wicked,^k

my adversaries^l like the unjust!

For what hope have the godless^m when they are cut off,

when God takes away their life?ⁿ

Does God listen to their cry

when distress comes upon them?^o

Will they find delight in the Almighty?^p

Will they call on God at all times?

“I will teach you about the power of God;

the ways^q of the Almighty I will not conceal.^r

You have all seen this yourselves.

Why then this meaningless talk?

“Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,

the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:^s

However many his children,^t their fate is the sword;^u

his offspring will never have enough to eat.^v

The plague will bury those who survive him,

and their widows will not weep for them.^w

Though he heaps up silver like dust^x

and clothes like piles of clay,^y

what he lays up^z the righteous will wear,^a

and the innocent will divide his silver.^b

The house^c he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,^d

like a hut^e made by a watchman.

He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;^f

when he opens his eyes, all is gone.^g

Terrors^h overtake him like a flood;ⁱ

a tempest snatches him away in the night.^j

The east wind^k carries him off, and he is gone;^l

it sweeps him out of his place.^m

It hurls itself against him without mercyⁿ

as he flees headlong^o from its power.^p

It claps its hands^q in derision

and hisses them out of their place.”^r