1. And Job further continued and said in his [Gr. preface] parable,
2. As God lives, who has thus judged me; and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul;
3. verily, while my breath is yet in me, and the breath of God which remains to me is in my nostrils,
4. my lips shall not speak evil words, neither shall my soul meditate unrighteous thoughts.
5. Far be it from me that I should justify you till I die; for I will not let go my innocence,
6. but keeping fast to my righteousness I will by no means let it go: for I am not conscious to myself of having done any thing [Compare Lu 23:41] amiss.
7. Nay rather, but let mine enemies be as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me, as the destruction of transgressors.
8. For what is the hope of the ungodly, that he holds to it? will he indeed trust in the Lord and be saved?
9. Will God hear his prayer? or, when distress has come upon him,
10. has he any confidence before him? or will God hear him as he calls upon him?
11. Yet now I will tell you what is in the hand of the Lord: I will not lie concerning the things which are with the Almighty.
12. Behold, ye all know that ye are adding vanity to vanity.
13. This is the portion of an ungodly man from the Lord, and the possession of oppressors shall come upon them from the Almighty.
14. And if their children be many, they shall be for slaughter: and if they grow up, they shall beg.
15. And they that survive of him shall utterly perish, and no one shall pity their widows.
16. Even if he should gather silver as earth, and prepare gold as clay;
17. All these things shall the righteous gain, and the truehearted shall possess his wealth.
18. And his house is gone like moths, and like a spider’s web.
19. The rich man shall lie down, and shall not continue: he has opened his eyes, and he is not.
20. Pains have come upon him as water, and darkness has carried him away by night.
21. And a burning wind shall catch him, and he shall depart, and it shall utterly drive him out of his place.
22. And God shall cast trouble upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23. [Alex. «he shall clap his hands at him’] He shall cause men to clap their hands against them, and shall hiss him out of his place.