27
1 Job began to speak again.* 2 “I promise you—as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter, 3 for as long as I have life, while the breath of God remains in my nostrils— 4 my lips will never speak lies, my tongue will never be dishonest. 5 I will never agree that you are right; I will insist on my innocence until the day I die. 6 I'm convinced I'm right and will never give up believing this; my conscience† will not condemn me as long as I live.
7 May my enemy become like the wicked; may those who oppose me become like those who do evil. 8 For what hope do those who reject God have when he cuts them down, when God brings their lives to an end? 9 When times of trouble come to them, will God hear their cry for help? 10 Do they have a good relationship with the Almighty? Can they call on God at any time? 11 Let me explain God's power to you. I will not keep anything back that the Almighty has planned. 12 If all of you have recognized this, why do you talk such vain nonsense?
13 This is what God provides as the destiny for the wicked, this is the inheritance that the ruthless will receive from the Almighty‡— 14 even if they have many children, they will experience violent deaths§ or die of starvation. 15 Those who survive will die from disease, and even their widows will not mourn for them. 16 Even though they pile up silver like dust, and clothes like heaps of clay, 17 those who do good will wear the clothes and the innocent will divide the silver among them. 18 They build their houses like a moth;* like some flimsy shelter made by a watchman. 19 They go to bed rich, but never again! For when they wake up, it's all gone. 20 Waves of panic flood over them; in the night a whirlwind snatches them away. 21 The east wind picks them up and they're gone, carried away from where they were. 22 The wind blows at them with full force; they try desperately to escape. 23 People† clap their hands at them and hiss at them wherever they are.”
* 27:1 Since speakers are introduced before their speeches, it would seem likely that the previous words (e.g. 26:5-14) were not from Job. † 27:6 Literally, “heart.” ‡ 27:13 Verses 13-23 are controversial since they seem to be a denial of what Job has already stated. However, he may be ironically suggesting that this is what will happen to his comforters based on what they themselves believe. § 27:14 Literally, “For the sword.” * 27:18 The moth represents something weak and fragile. † 27:23 Who is represented here as the subject is unclear: the wind, human beings, or God. The idea is that the wicked are jeered at and mocked.