Job 27:1-10

1 I swear by the living Almighty God,
2 who refuses me justice and makes my life bitter -
3 as long as God gives me breath,
4 my lips will never say anything evil, my tongue will never tell a lie.
5 I will never say that you men are right; I will insist on my innocence to my dying day.
6 I will never give up my claim to be right; my conscience is clear.
7 May all who oppose me and fight against me be punished like the wicked and the unrighteous.
8 What hope is there for the godless in the hour when God demands their life?
9 When trouble comes, will God hear their cries?
10 They should have desired the joy he gives; they should have constantly prayed to him.

Job 27:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 27

Though Job's friends were become silent, and dropped the controversy with him, he still continued his discourse in this and the four following chapters; in which he asserts his integrity; illustrates and confirms his former sentiments; gives further proof of his knowledge of things, natural and divine; takes notice of his former state of prosperity, and of his present distresses and afflictions, which came upon him, notwithstanding his piety, humanity, and beneficence, and his freedom from the grosser acts of sin, both with respect to God and men, all which he enlarges upon. In this chapter he gives his word and oath for it, that he would never belie himself, and own that he was an hypocrite, when he was not, but would continue to assert his integrity, and the righteousness of his cause, as long as he lived, Job 27:1-6; for to be an hypocrite, and to attempt to conceal his hypocrisy, would be of no advantage to him, either in life, or in death, Job 27:7-10; and was this his character and case, upon their principles, he could expect no other than to be a miserable man, as wicked men are, who have their blessings turned into curses, or taken away from them, and they removed out of the world in the most awful and terrible manner, and under manifest tokens of the wrath and displeasure of God, Job 27:11-23.

Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.