Job 27:1-23

Job 27:1-23 The Message (MSG)

Having waited for Zophar, Job now resumed his defense: “God-Alive! He’s denied me justice! God Almighty! He’s ruined my life! But for as long as I draw breath, and for as long as God breathes life into me, I refuse to say one word that isn’t true. I refuse to confess to any charge that’s false. There is no way I’ll ever agree to your accusations. I’ll not deny my integrity even if it costs me my life. I’m holding fast to my integrity and not loosening my grip— and, believe me, I’ll never regret it. “Let my enemy be exposed as wicked! Let my adversary be proven guilty! What hope do people without God have when life is cut short? when God puts an end to life? Do you think God will listen to their cry for help when disaster hits? What interest have they ever shown in the Almighty? Have they ever been known to pray before? “I’ve given you a clear account of God in action, suppressed nothing regarding God Almighty. The evidence is right before you. You can all see it for yourselves, so why do you keep talking nonsense? “I’ll quote your own words back to you

Job 27:1-23 King James Version (KJV)

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul; All the while my breath is in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you: Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. Let mine enemy be as the wicked, And he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, When God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry When trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God? I will teach you by the hand of God: That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; Why then are ye thus altogether vain? This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty. If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: And his widows shall not weep. Though he heap up silver as the dust, And prepare raiment as the clay; He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, And the innocent shall divide the silver. He buildeth his house as a moth, And as a booth that the keeper maketh. The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: He openeth his eyes, and he is not. Terrors take hold on him as waters, A tempest stealeth him away in the night. The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: And as a storm hurleth him out of his place. For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: He would fain flee out of his hand. Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 27:1-23 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

Then Job continued his discourse and said, “As God lives, who has taken away my right, And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul, For as long as life is in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils, My lips certainly will not speak unjustly, Nor will my tongue mutter deceit. Far be it from me that I should declare you right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days. “May my enemy be as the wicked And my opponent as the unjust. For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, When God requires his life? Will God hear his cry When distress comes upon him? Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call on God at all times? I will instruct you in the power of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. Behold, all of you have seen it; Why then do you act foolishly? “This is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty. Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread. His survivors will be buried because of the plague, And their widows will not be able to weep. Though he piles up silver like dust And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay, He may prepare it, but the just will wear it And the innocent will divide the silver. He has built his house like the spider’s web, Or as a hut which the watchman has made. He lies down rich, but never again; He opens his eyes, and it is no longer. Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night. The east wind carries him away, and he is gone, For it whirls him away from his place. For it will hurl at him without sparing; He will surely try to flee from its power. Men will clap their hands at him And will hiss him from his place.

Job 27:1-23 New Century Version (NCV)

And Job continued speaking: “As surely as God lives, who has taken away my rights, the Almighty, who has made me unhappy, as long as I am alive and God’s breath of life is in my nose, my lips will not speak evil, and my tongue will not tell a lie. I will never agree you are right; until I die, I will never stop saying I am innocent. I will insist that I am right; I will not back down. My conscience will never bother me. “Let my enemies be like evil people, my foes like those who are wrong. What hope do the wicked have when they die, when God takes their life away? God will not listen to their cries when trouble comes to them. They will not find joy in the Almighty, even though they call out to God all the time. “I will teach you about the power of God and will not hide the ways of the Almighty. You have all seen this yourselves. So why are we having all this talk that means nothing? “Here is what God has planned for evil people, and what the Almighty will give to cruel people: They may have many children, but the sword will kill them. Their children who are left will never have enough to eat. Then they will die of disease and be buried, and the widows will not even cry for them. The wicked may heap up silver like piles of dirt and have so many clothes they are like piles of clay. But good people will wear what evil people have gathered, and the innocent will divide up their silver. The houses the wicked build are like a spider’s web, like a hut that a guard builds. The wicked are rich when they go to bed, but they are rich for the last time; when they open their eyes, everything is gone. Fears come over them like a flood, and a storm snatches them away in the night. The east wind will carry them away, and then they are gone, because it sweeps them out of their place. The wind will hit them without mercy as they try to run away from its power. It will be as if the wind is clapping its hands; it will whistle at them as they run from their place.

Job 27:1-23 American Standard Version (ASV)

And Job again took up his parable, and said, As God liveth, who hath taken away my right, And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul (For my life is yet whole in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils); Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, Neither shall my tongue utter deceit. Far be it from me that I should justify you: Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. Let mine enemy be as the wicked, And let him that riseth up against me be as the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain, When God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry, When trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty, And call upon God at all times? I will teach you concerning the hand of God; That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; Why then are ye become altogether vain? This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty: If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death, And his widows shall make no lamentation. Though he heap up silver as the dust, And prepare raiment as the clay; He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, And the innocent shall divide the silver. He buildeth his house as the moth, And as a booth which the keeper maketh. He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered to his fathers; He openeth his eyes, and he is not. Terrors overtake him like waters; A tempest stealeth him away in the night. The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth; And it sweepeth him out of his place. For God shall hurl at him, and not spare: He would fain flee out of his hand. Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 27:1-23 New International Version (NIV)

And Job continued his discourse: “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter, as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not say anything wicked, and my tongue will not utter lies. I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live. “May my enemy be like the wicked, my adversary like the unjust! For what hope have the godless when they are cut off, when God takes away their life? Does God listen to their cry when distress comes upon them? Will they find delight in the Almighty? Will they call on God at all times? “I will teach you about the power of God; the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal. 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: However many his children, their fate is the sword; his offspring will never have enough to eat. The plague will bury those who survive him, and their widows will not weep for them. Though he heaps up silver like dust and clothes like piles of clay, what he lays up the righteous will wear, and the innocent will divide his silver. The house he builds is like a moth’s cocoon, like a hut made by a watchman. He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone. Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest snatches him away in the night. The east wind carries him off, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place. It hurls itself against him without mercy as he flees headlong from its power. It claps its hands in derision and hisses him out of his place.”

Job 27:1-23 New King James Version (NKJV)

Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said: “As God lives, who has taken away my justice, And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils, My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit. Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. “May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry When trouble comes upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call on God? “I will teach you about the hand of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal. Surely all of you have seen it; Why then do you behave with complete nonsense? “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty: If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. Those who survive him shall be buried in death, And their widows shall not weep, Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay— He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver. He builds his house like a moth, Like a booth which a watchman makes. The rich man will lie down, But not be gathered up; He opens his eyes, And he is no more. Terrors overtake him like a flood; A tempest steals him away in the night. The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place. It hurls against him and does not spare; He flees desperately from its power. Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 27:1-23 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Job continued his discourse and said, “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, As long as my life is within me, And the breath of God is [still] in my nostrils, My lips will not speak unjustly, Nor will my tongue utter deceit. 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. 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. “May my enemy be as the wicked, And he who rises up against me be as the unrighteous (unjust). For what is the hope of the godless, even though he has gained [in this world], When God takes his life? Will God hear his cry When trouble and distress come upon him? Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call on God at all times? 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]. Behold, all of you have seen it; Why then do you act vainly and foolishly [cherishing worthless concepts]? “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: Though his children are many, they are destined for the sword; And his descendants will not have sufficient bread. Those who survive him will be buried because of the plague, And [their] widows will not be able to weep. Though he heaps up silver like dust And piles up clothing like clay, He may prepare it, but the just will wear it And the innocent will divide the silver. He builds his house like a spider’s web, Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes. He lies down rich, but never will again; He opens his eyes, and it is gone. Terrors overtake him like a [suddenly rising] flood; A windstorm steals him away in the night. The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place. For it will hurl [thunderbolts of God’s wrath] at him unsparingly and without compassion; He flees in haste from its power. People will clap their hands at him [to mock and ridicule him] And hiss him out of his place.

Job 27:1-23 New Living Translation (NLT)

Job continued speaking: “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights, by the Almighty who has embittered my soul— As long as I live, while I have breath from God, my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies. I will never concede that you are right; I will defend my integrity until I die. I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live. “May my enemy be punished like the wicked, my adversary like those who do evil. For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off and takes away their life? Will God listen to their cry when trouble comes upon them? Can they take delight in the Almighty? Can they call to God at any time? I will teach you about God’s power. I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty. But you have seen all this, yet you say all these useless things to me. “This is what the wicked will receive from God; this is their inheritance from the Almighty. They may have many children, but the children will die in war or starve to death. Those who survive will die of a plague, and not even their widows will mourn them. “Evil people may have piles of money and may store away mounds of clothing. But the righteous will wear that clothing, and the innocent will divide that money. The wicked build houses as fragile as a spider’s web, as flimsy as a shelter made of branches. The wicked go to bed rich but wake to find that all their wealth is gone. Terror overwhelms them like a flood, and they are blown away in the storms of the night. The east wind carries them away, and they are gone. It sweeps them away. It whirls down on them without mercy. They struggle to flee from its power. But everyone jeers at them and mocks them.

Job 27:1-23 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

And Job again took up his discourse, and said: “As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. “Let my enemy be as the wicked, and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times? I will teach you concerning the hand of God; what is with the Almighty I will not conceal. Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain? “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty: If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword, and his descendants have not enough bread. Those who survive him the pestilence buries, and his widows do not weep. Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay, he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver. He builds his house like a moth’s, like a booth that a watchman makes. He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more; he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone. Terrors overtake him like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries him off. The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place. It hurls at him without pity; he flees from its power in headlong flight. It claps its hands at him and hisses at him from its place.