Job 27

2 “As the Lord lives, who has judged me this way,

and as the Almighty lives, who has made my soul bitter —

3 as long as my breath is still in me,

and the divine spirit is left in my nostrils,

4 my lips will not speak lawless things,

and my soul will not think over what is unrighteous.

5 Far be it from me to declare you righteous until I die;

I will not let go of my innocence.

6 Holding fast to my righteousness, I will not give it up;

for I know nothing against myself, nothing out of place that I have done.

7 No — let my enemies be like the overthrow of the ungodly,

and those who rise against me like the destruction of the lawbreakers.

8 For what hope has the ungodly man, that he keeps holding on?

Trusting in the Lord, will he really be saved?

9 Will the Lord listen to his plea?

Or when hard need comes on him,

10 will he have any freedom to speak before him?

Will he hear him when he calls on him?

11 But I will tell you what is in the Lord’s hand;

I will not lie about what is with the Almighty.

12 Look, you all know it yourselves:

you are heaping empty things on empty things.

13 This is the portion of an ungodly man from the Lord,

and the property of sovereigns will come to them from the Almighty.

14 If his sons become many, they are for the slaughter;

and if they grow up to be men, they will beg.

15 Those of his who are left will come to their end in death,

and no one will pity their widows.

16 If he gathers silver like earth,

and lays up gold like clay,

17 the righteous will take all of it for themselves,

and the truthful will hold his money.

18 His house has gone the way of moths,

the way of a spider’s web.

19 The rich man lies down, and he will not do it again;

he opened his eyes, and he is not there.

20 Pains met him like water;

in the night thick darkness carried him off.

21 A burning wind will pick him up and he will be gone;

it will winnow him out of his place.

22 He will throw it at him and not spare him;

the man will run headlong out of his hand.

23 He will clap his hands at him,

and hiss him out of his place.”