[1] Then Job continued telling his story. Job said,
[2] “Truly, God lives. And just as truly as God lives, He has truly been unfair with me. God All-Powerful made my life bitter.
[3] But as long as life is in me and God’s breath of life is in my nose,
[4] then my lips will not speak evil things, and my tongue will never tell a lie.
[5] I will never admit that you men are right. I will continue saying I am innocent until the day I die.
[6] I will hold tightly to the right things I did. I will never stop living right. My conscience will never bother me as long as I live.
[7] “People have stood against me. I hope my enemies are punished like bad men should be punished.
[8] If a person does not care about God, then there is no hope for that person when he dies. That person has no hope when God takes his life away.
[9] That evil person will have troubles, and he will cry to God for help. But God won’t listen to him!
[10] That person should have enjoyed ˻talking with˼ God All-Powerful. That person should have prayed to God all the time.
[11] “I will teach you about God’s power. I will not hide God All-Powerful’s plans.
[12] You have seen God’s power with your own eyes. So why do you say such useless things?
[13] This is what God planned for evil people. This is what cruel people will get from God All-Powerful:
[14] An evil person might have many children. But his children will be killed in war. The children of an evil person will not have enough to eat.
[15] All of his children will die, and his widow will not be sad.
[16] An evil person might get so much silver that it is like dirt to him. He might have so many clothes that they are like piles of clay.
[17] But a good person will get his clothes Innocent people will get his silver.
[18] An evil man might build a house, but it will not last a long time. It will be like a spider’s web or a watchman’s tent.
[19] An evil person might be rich when he goes to bed. But when he opens his eyes, all his riches will be gone.
[20] He will be scared. It will be like a flood, like a storm came and carried everything away.
[21] The east wind will carry him away, and he will be gone. The storm will sweep him out of his home.
[22] The evil person might try to run away from the power of the storm. But the storm will hit him without mercy.
[23] Men will clap their hands as the evil person runs away. They will whistle at that evil person as he runs from his home.