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Job Affirms His Righteousness

¹ Job again took up his ^(C1)discourse and said,

² "As God lives, ^(C1)who has taken away my right,
And the Almighty, ^(C2)who has embittered my soul,

³ For as long as ^(F1)life is in me,
And the ^(F2)(C1)breath of God is in my nostrils,

⁴ My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will ^(C1)my tongue mutter deceit.

⁵ "Far be it from me that I should declare you right;
Until I die, ^(C1)I will not ^(F1)give up my integrity.

⁶ "I have ^(C1)kept hold of my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not rebuke any of my days.

The State of the Godless

⁷ "May my enemy be as the wicked,
And ^(F1)my opponent as the criminal.

⁸ "For what is ^(C1)the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life,
When God requires ^(C2)his ^(F1)life?

⁹ "Will God ^(C1)hear his cry
When ^(C2)distress comes upon him?

¹⁰ "Or will he take ^(C1)pleasure in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?

¹¹ "I will instruct you in the ^(F1)power of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

¹² "Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you talk of nothing?

¹³ "This is ^(C1)the portion of a wicked person from God,
And the inheritance which ^(C2)tyrants receive from the Almighty:

¹⁴ Though his sons are many, ^(F1)they are destined ^(C1)for the sword;
And his ^(C2)descendants will not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵ "His survivors will be buried because of the plague,
And ^(F1)their ^(C1)widows will not be able to weep.

¹⁶ "Though he piles up silver like dust,
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,

¹⁷ He may prepare it, ^(C1)but the righteous will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.

¹⁸ "He has built his ^(C1)house like the ^(F1)spider's web,
Or a hut which the watchman has made.

¹⁹ "He lies down rich, but never ^(F1)again;
He opens his eyes, and ^(C1)it no longer exists.

²⁰ "^(C1)Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A storm steals him away ^(C2)in the night.

²¹ "The east ^(C1)wind carries him away, and he is gone;
For it sweeps him ^(C2)away from his place.

²² "For it will hurl at him ^(C1)without mercy;
He will certainly try to ^(C2)flee from its ^(F1)power.

²³ "People will ^(F1)clap their hands at him,
And will ^(C1)whistle at him from their places.