Job
Chapter 27
Job continued his discourse:
As surely as God lives, who denies my right, the Almighty, who has made me bitter,
as long as I have life within me and God’s breath in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak falsehood nor my tongue utter deceit.
Never will I admit you are right, nor deny my integrity till I die.
Never will I abandon my righteousness; my conscience is clear.
Let my enemy be like the wicked, and my adversary like the unrighteous.
What hope does the godless have when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?
God will not listen to his cry when trouble besets him.
For he did not delight in the Almighty or call upon him constantly.
See, I tell you the deeds of God and do not conceal the ways of the Almighty.
You have witnessed this yourselves. Why then these empty words?
This is a wicked man’s allotment from God, the inheritance of an oppressor which he receives from the Almighty.
Though his children are many, the sword is their destiny. His offspring will go hungry.
The plague will bury those who survive, and their widows will not mourn them.
He may heap up silver like dust and pile up clothes like clay,
but what he stores, the just will wear, and the innocent will divide his silver.
He builds his house like a cobweb, or like the hut a watchman makes.
Once more he lies down rich and wakes to finds his wealth all gone.
Terrors attack him by day; at night a whirlwind carries him away.
The east wind lifts him up, and he vanishes as it blows him away from his spot.
People strike at him relentlessly as he runs desperately from their hands.
They clap their hands in mockery and hiss at him from afar.
Commentaries
Third Round of Speeches.
This round of speeches comes across as disorganized and confusing. Eliphaz speaks, and Job responds. Bildad’s speech, which is only five verses long, is clearly cut short; Zophar remains silent. Additionally, some of what Job says seems more fitting coming from his friends. Experts continue to work towards a coherent conclusion. Still, it seems as if Job and his friends are all shouting at once, which might be the fitting end to a “dialogue” of the deaf about the cosmic and moral order.
Job’s Final Response.
These two chapters are problematic; they appear to be composed of fragments gathered and placed together. Job begins by mocking his friends and rebukes them with plenty of classic wisdom, including advice, warnings, and reflections (26:2f). The grand description of creation (26:5-14) might actually be a continuation of Bildad’s hymn to the Creator (25:2-6). As it stands, it appears that Job interrupted Bildad to finish the hymn his friend started. With a solemn oath, Job reaffirms his innocence—saying it is God who does him wrong, but unlike his friends, Job will not serve God with lies and falsehood (27:4; cf. 13:7-9). The passage in 27:7-21 seems to echo what his friends have reproached him for. Some experts have speculated, based on these verses, that there may be a lost third speech by Zophar. If we try to find meaning as it currently stands, that might be it. According to ancient Israeli law, anyone found guilty of giving false testimony against an innocent person should face the same punishment that the innocent would have received. This is the punishment Job wishes upon his so-called friends (27:7), later detailing the punishments they have threatened him with (27:8-23).