[1] And Job continued speaking: [2] "As surely as God lives, who has taken away my rights, the Almighty, who has made me unhappy, [3] as long as I am alive and God's breath of life is in my nose, [4] my lips will not speak evil, and my tongue will not tell a lie. [5] I will never agree you are right; until I die, I will never stop saying I am innocent. [6] I will insist that I am right; I will not back down. My conscience will never bother me. [7] "Let my enemies be like evil people, my foes like those who are wrong. [8] What hope do the wicked have when they die, when God takes their life away? [9] God will not listen to their cries when trouble comes to them. [10] They will not find joy in the Almighty, even though they call out to God all the time. [11] "I will teach you about the power of God and will not hide the ways of the Almighty. [12] You have all seen this yourselves. So why are we having all this talk that means nothing? [13] "Here is what God has planned for evil people, and what the Almighty will give to cruel people: [14] They may have many children, but the sword will kill them. Their children who are left will never have enough to eat. [15] Then they will die of disease and be buried, and the widows will not even cry for them. [16] The wicked may heap up silver like piles of dirt and have so many clothes they are like piles of clay. [17] But good people will wear what evil people have gathered, and the innocent will divide up their silver. [18] The houses the wicked build are like a spider's web, like a hut that a guard builds. [19] 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. [20] Fears come over them like a flood, and a storm snatches them away in the night. [21] The east wind will carry them away, and then they are gone, because it sweeps them out of their place. [22] The wind will hit them without mercy as they try to run away from its power. [23] It will be as if the wind is clapping its hands; it will whistle at them as they run from their place.
