Job 27-28
Amplified Bible
Job Affirms His Righteousness
27 Job continued his discourse and said,
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“As God lives, who has taken away my right and denied me justice,
And the Almighty, who has caused bitterness and grief for my soul,
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As long as my life is within me,
And the breath of God is [still] in my nostrils,
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My lips will not speak unjustly,
Nor will my tongue utter deceit.
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“Far be it from me that I should admit you are right [in your accusations against me];
Until I die, I will not remove my integrity from me.
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“I hold fast my uprightness and my right standing with God and I will not let them go;
My heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
The State of the Godless
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“May my enemy be as the wicked,
And he who rises up against me be as the unrighteous (unjust).
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“For what is the hope of the godless, even though he has gained [in this world],
When God takes his life?
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“Will God hear his cry
When trouble and distress come upon him?
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“Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times?
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“I will teach you regarding the hand (power) of God;
I will not conceal what is with the Almighty [God’s actual treatment of the wicked].
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“Behold, all of you have seen it;
Why then do you act vainly and foolishly [cherishing worthless concepts]?
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“This [which I am about to explain] is the portion of a wicked man from God,
And the inheritance which tyrants and oppressors receive from the Almighty:
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“Though his children are many, they are destined for the sword;
And his descendants will not have sufficient bread.
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“Those who survive him will be buried because of the plague,
And [their] widows will not be able to weep.
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“Though he heaps up silver like dust
And piles up clothing like clay,
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He may prepare it, but the just will wear it
And the innocent will divide the silver.
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“He builds his house like a spider’s web,
Like a (temporary) hut which a watchman makes.
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“He lies down rich, but never will again;
He opens his eyes, and it is gone.
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“Terrors overtake him like a [suddenly rising] flood;
A windstorm steals him away in the night.
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“The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.
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“For it will hurl [thunderbolts of God’s wrath] at him unsparingly and without compassion;
He flees in haste from its power.
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“People will clap their hands at him [to mock and ridicule him]
And hiss him out of his place.
Job Tells of Earth’s Treasures
28 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
And a place where they refine gold.
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“Iron is taken out of the earth,
And copper is smelted from the stone ore.
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“Man puts an end to darkness [by bringing in a light],
And to the farthest bounds he searches out
The rock buried in gloom and deep shadow.
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“He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live,
[In places] forgotten by the [human] foot;
They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.
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“[As for] the earth, out of it comes food,
But underneath [its surface, down deep] it is turned over as fire.
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“Its stones are the bed of sapphires;
It holds dust of gold.
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“The path [deep within] no bird of prey knows,
And the falcon’s eye has not caught sight of it.
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“The proud beasts [and their young] have not walked on it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
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“Man puts his hand on [and tears apart] the flinty rock;
He overturns the mountains at the base [looking for treasure].
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“He cuts out channels and passages among the rocks;
And his eye sees every precious thing.
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“Man dams up the streams from flowing [so that they do not trickle into the mine],
And what is hidden he brings out to the light.
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
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“But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
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“Man does not know the value of it;
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
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“The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
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“It cannot be obtained for pure gold,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
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“It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir,
In the precious onyx or beryl, or the sapphire.
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“Gold and glass cannot equal wisdom,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
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“No mention of coral and crystal can be made;
For the possession of wisdom is even above [that of] rubies or pearls.
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“The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
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“From where then does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
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“It is hidden from the eyes of all the living
And concealed from the birds of the heavens.
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“Abaddon (the place of destruction) and Death say,
‘We have [only] heard a report of it with our ears.’
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“God understands the way [to wisdom]
And He knows its place [for wisdom is with God alone].
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“For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.
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“When He gave weight and pressure to the wind
And allotted the waters by measure,
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When He made a limit for the rain
And a way for the thunderbolt,
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Then He saw wisdom and declared it;
He established it and searched it out.
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“But to man He said, ‘Behold, the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord—that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
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