Job Affirms His Righteousness
27 Job continued his discourse and said,
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“As God lives, who has taken away my right and denied me justice,
And the Almighty, who has caused bitterness and grief for my soul,
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As long as my life is within me,
And the breath of God is [still] in my nostrils,
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My lips will not speak unjustly,
Nor will my tongue utter deceit.
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“Far be it from me that I should admit you are right [in your accusations against me];
Until I die, I will not remove my integrity from me.
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“I hold fast my uprightness and my right standing with God and I will not let them go;
My heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
The State of the Godless
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“May my enemy be as the wicked,
And he who rises up against me be as the unrighteous (unjust).
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“For what is the hope of the godless, even though he has gained [in this world],
When God takes his life?
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“Will God hear his cry
When trouble and distress come upon him?
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“Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
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“I will teach you regarding the hand (power) of God;
I will not conceal what is with the Almighty [God’s actual treatment of the wicked].
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“Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you act vainly and foolishly [cherishing worthless concepts]?
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“This [which I am about to explain] is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants and oppressors receive from the Almighty:
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“Though his children are many, they are destined for the sword;
And his descendants will not have sufficient bread.
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“Those who survive him will be buried because of the plague,
And [their] widows will not be able to weep.
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“Though he heaps up silver like dust
And piles up clothing like clay,
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He may prepare it, but the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
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“He builds his house like a spider’s web,
Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.
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“He lies down rich, but never will again;
He opens his eyes, and it is gone.
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“Terrors overtake him like a [suddenly rising] flood;
A windstorm steals him away in the night.
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“The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.
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“For it will hurl [thunderbolts of God’s wrath] at him unsparingly and without compassion;
He flees in haste from its power.
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“People will clap their hands at him [to mock and ridicule him]
And hiss him out of his place.