2“As God lives, who has taken away my justice,
And the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
3As long as my breath is in me,
And the breath of God in my nostrils,
4My lips will not speak wickedness,
Nor my tongue utter deceit.
5Far be it from me
That I should say you are right;
Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
6My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go;
My heart shall not [a]reproach me as long as I live.

7“May my enemy be like the wicked,
And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.
8For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
Though he may gain much,
If God takes away his life?
9Will God hear his cry
When trouble comes upon him?
10Will he delight himself in the Almighty?
Will he always call on God?

11“I will teach you [b]about the hand of God;
What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12Surely all of you have seen it;
Why then do you behave with complete nonsense?

13“This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
And the heritage of oppressors, received from the Almighty:
14If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword;
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15Those who survive him shall be buried in death,
And their[c] widows shall not weep,
16Though he heaps up silver like dust,
And piles up clothing like clay—
17He may pile it up, but the just will wear it,
And the innocent will divide the silver.
18He builds his house like a [d]moth,
Like a [e]booth which a watchman makes.
19The rich man will lie down,
[f]But not be gathered up;
He opens his eyes,
And he is no more.
20Terrors overtake him like a flood;
A tempest steals him away in the night.
21The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
It sweeps him out of his place.
22It hurls against him and does not spare;
He flees desperately from its [g]power.
23Men shall clap their hands at him,
And shall hiss him out of his place.