1 Job continued his discourse:
2 As surely as God lives, who de nies my right,
the Almighty, who has made me bitter,
3 as long as I have life within me
and God’s breath in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak falsehood
nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 Never will I admit you are right,
nor deny my integrity till I die.
6 Never will I let go of my righteousness;
my conscience is not put to shame.
7 Let my enemy be as the wicked
and my adversary as the unrighteous.
8 For what hope has the godless
when God cuts him off,
when God takes away his life?
9 God will not listen to his call
when he is beset by trouble.
10 For he did not delight in the Al mighty
or call upon him constantly.
11 See, I tell you the deeds of God
and do not conceal the ways of the Almighty.
12 You have witnessed this yourselves.
Why then these empty words?
Third discourse of Nahama
13 This is a wicked man’s portion from God,
the heritage of an oppressor
which he receives from the Almighty.
14 Though his children be many,
the sword is their destiny.
His offspring will go hungry.
15 The plague will bury those who survive,
and their widows will not mourn for them.
16 He may heap up silver like dust
and pile up clothes like clay,
17 but what he stores, the just will wear,
and the innocent divide his silver.
18 He builds his house like a cobweb,
or like the hut a watchman makes.
19 Once more he lies down rich
and wakes to see his wealth all gone.
20 Terrors rush upon him by day;
at night a whirlwind carries him away.
21 The east wind lifts him up, and he disappears
as it sweeps him out of his place.
22 People strike at him without mercy
as he flees headlong from their hands.
23 They clap their hands in mockery
and hiss at him from where they are.
