New International Version

New King James Version

Job’s Final Word to His Friends

And Job continued his discourse:

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Job Maintains His Integrity

Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said:

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“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter,

2

“As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,

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as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,

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As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,

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my lips will not say anything wicked,
and my tongue will not utter lies.

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My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.

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I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.

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Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

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I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.

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My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;
My heart shall not [a]reproach me as long as I live.

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“May my enemy be like the wicked,
my adversary like the unjust!

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“May my enemy be like the wicked,
And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.

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For what hope have the godless when they are cut off,
when God takes away their life?

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For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
Though he may gain much,
If God takes away his life?

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Does God listen to their cry
when distress comes upon them?

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Will God hear his cry
When trouble comes upon him?

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Will they find delight in the Almighty?
Will they call on God at all times?

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Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
Will he always call on God?

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“I will teach you about the power of God;
the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.

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“I will teach you [b]about the hand of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

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You have all seen this yourselves.
Why then this meaningless talk?

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Surely all of you have seen it;
Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?

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“Here is the fate God allots to the wicked,
the heritage a ruthless man receives from the Almighty:

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“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:

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However many his children, their fate is the sword;
his offspring will never have enough to eat.

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If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.

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The plague will bury those who survive him,
and their widows will not weep for them.

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Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And their[c] widows shall not weep,

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Though he heaps up silver like dust
and clothes like piles of clay,

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Though he heaps up silver like dust,
And piles up clothing like clay —

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what he lays up the righteous will wear,
and the innocent will divide his silver.

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He may pile it up, but the just will wear it,
And the innocent will divide the silver.

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The house he builds is like a moth’s cocoon,
like a hut made by a watchman.

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He builds his house like a [d]moth,
Like a [e]booth which a watchman makes.

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He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;
when he opens his eyes, all is gone.

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The rich man will lie down,
[f]But not be gathered up;
He opens his eyes,
And he is no more.

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Terrors overtake him like a flood;
a tempest snatches him away in the night.

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Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.

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The east wind carries him off, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.

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The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.

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It hurls itself against him without mercy
as he flees headlong from its power.

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It hurls against him and does not spare;
He flees desperately from its [g]power.

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It claps its hands in derision
and hisses him out of his place.”

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Men shall clap their hands at him,
And shall hiss him out of his place.

Parallel

New International Version

New King James Version

Job 27

Job 27