Chapter 27

27:2 [As] God liveth, [who] hath taken away my ^a judgment; and the Almighty, [who] hath vexed my soul;

(a) He has so sore afflicted me that men cannot judge my uprightness; for they judge only by outward signs.

27:4 ^b My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

(b) However men judge me, yet will I not speak contrary to that which I have said, and so do wickedly in betraying the truth.

27:5 God forbid that I should ^c justify you: till I die I will not remove mine ^d integrity from me.

(c) Which condemns me as a wicked man, because the hand of God is on me.
(d) I will not confess that God does thus punish me for my sins.

27:6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach [me] so long as I ^e live.

(e) Of my life past.

27:8 For what [is] the ^f hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

(f) What advantage has the dissembler to gain, seeing he will lose his own soul?

27:11 I will teach you by the hand of ^g God: [that] which [is] with the Almighty will I not conceal.

(g) That is, what God reserves for himself, and of which he gives not knowledge to all.

27:12 Behold, all ye yourselves ^h have seen [it]; why then are ye thus altogether ⁱ vain?

^h That is, these secret judgments of God and yet do not understand them.
(i) Why do you then maintain this error?

27:13 This [is] the ^k portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, [which] they shall receive of the Almighty.

(k) Thus will God order the wicked, and punish him even to his posterity.

27:15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows ^l shall not weep.

(l) No one will lament him.

27:18 He buildeth his house as a ^m moth, and as a booth [that] the keeper maketh.

(m) Which breeds in another mans possessions or garment, but is soon shaken out.

27:19 The rich man shall lie down, but ⁿ he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he [is] not.

(n) He means that the wicked tyrants will not have a quiet death, nor be buried honourably.