JOB 27 [†]And Job again  r took up his discourse, and said:

2 “As God lives, who has  s taken away my right,

and the Almighty, who has  t made my soul bitter,

3 as long as my breath is in me,

and  u the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

4 my lips will not speak  v falsehood,

and my tongue will not utter  v deceit.

5[^][†] Far be it from me to say that you are right;

till I die I will not put away my  w integrity from me.

6[†] I  x hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;

my heart does not  y reproach me for any of my days.

7[†] “Let my enemy be as the wicked,

and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.

8  z For what is the hope of the godless  a when God cuts him off,

when God takes away his life?

9  b Will God hear his cry

when distress comes upon him?

10 Will he  c take delight in the Almighty?

Will he call upon God at all times?

11[†] I will teach you concerning the hand of God;

 d what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;

why then have you become altogether vain?

13[†]  e “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,

and the heritage that  f oppressors receive from the Almighty:

14 If his  g children are multiplied, it is for  h the sword,

and his descendants have not enough bread.

15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,

and his  i widows do not weep.

16 Though he  j heap up silver like dust,

and pile up clothing like clay,

17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,

and  k the innocent will divide the silver.

18 He builds his  l house like a moth’s,

like  m a booth that  n a watchman makes.

19 He goes to bed rich, but will  o do so no more;

he opens his eyes, and  p his wealth is gone.

20  q Terrors overtake him like  r a flood;

in the night a whirlwind  s carries him off.

21  t The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;

it  u sweeps him out of his place.

22 It [1] hurls at him  v without pity;

he flees from its [2] power in headlong flight.

23 It  w claps its hands at him

and  x hisses at him from its place.