Paraphrase on the Book of Job, Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII.
1. JOB having thus taken up Bildad, 1. Moreover Iob continued his parable, and said,his three friends seeing they could doe no good on him, held their peace, whereupon he takes occasion to speake his mind fully, and thus goes on:
2. As the Lord liveth, who hath2. As God liveth who hath taken away my judgement, and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soule; not cleared mee to be what I am, but hath laid it upon mee to be thus misjudged; and unjustly censured and condemned for a wicked man, because of mine afflictions, yea, I protest by the Almighty, who I know, hath caused all these grievous vexations to befall mee;
3. That whilest I breath, and God3, All the while my breath is in mee, and the spirit of God is in my nostrills. lends me life,
4. No respect in the world shall make me eate my words, or goe against4. My lips shall not speake wickednesse, nor my tongue utter deceit. my knowledge; for no mans pleasure or importunity will I do wickedly and betray the truth by saying otherwaies of my selfe than I have said, although never so many should judge against mee.
5. No, God forbid that I should5. God forbid that I should justif…e you; till I die, I will not remove my integrity from me. bolster you up in that sinfull …isprision and uncharitablenesse of yours, by yeelding it for a truth, which you say, that God does punish me for mine hypocrisie and wickednesse, no, I will never doe it whilest I live; I will not belie my selfe, nor relinquish mine integrity, thinke how you will, and say of me what you will for it.
6. I am resolved to maintaine mine6. My righteousnesse I hold fast, and will not let it goe: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. uprightnesse, and not to part with it upon your perswasions or suspitions, my heart shall never be brought by any thing you can doe to accuse mee falsely of hypocrisie.
7. For my part, I am sure, I am no7. Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and hee that riseth up against me, as the unrighteous. such man as you conceit me to be, nor doe I account my selfe ever the lesse righteous, or the lesse favoured of God for these my sufferings, but it is mine enemy, and hee that hath done mee wrong, that is, both the unrighteous and the unhappy man; it is the wicked, and not the afflicted, that is out of favour with God.
8. As may appeare by the hopelesse8. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though hee hath gained, when God taketh away his soule? and comfortlesse state which the wicked oppressour is in, though he be never so prosperous, and hath gained never so much, when God once summons him by death.
9. For how in vaine doth God let9. Will God heare his cry when trouble commeth upon him? him cry for comfort, not giving him any, when the conscience of his sins torment him, and the feare of death approaching, seiseth on him.
10. And what little joy he hath to10. Will hee delight himselfe in the Almighty? will hee alwaies call upon God? thinke of God, and how unable hee is to sustaine or comfort himselfe with faithfull and constant seeking and praying to the Lord.
11. I will shew you by mine owne11. I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty, will I not conceale. observation of Gods usuall proceedings toward wicked men, what hee hath in store (if that he pleaseth to execute it) for such wicked wretches as have done me this wrong, thus unjustly to oppresse and rob mee, being innocent: (for what I know to be a truth touching the Almighty, I will neither deny nor conceale it, though I thereby oppose your false conclusions and collections touching your prescribing God, and wronging me.)
12. Nor is it any other than what12. Behold, all yee your selves have seene it, why then are yee thus altogether vaine? your selves have confessed and affirmed to have noted as well as I, onelyonly by the way, tell me then how you can be so inconsiderate in what you say, as to affirme outward prosperity and wealth to be the signe of Gods favour, and the contrary a signe of his disfavour.
13. Seeing, as I say, you know; that13. This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressours. this is the portion that God hath allotted to wicked men, and that which is due to them from the Almighty, and which they often actually receive.
14. That is, that they shall be accursed,14. If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his off-spring shall not be satisfied with bread. both they and theirs, and shall be unhappy in their happinesse; for though their children multiply never so, it shall be but the more to serve and satisfie Gods revengefull displeasure against them, who will wrathfully devour and cut them off with the sword of his Justice, and though they multiply and lay up never so much for their children, yet God will bring them to want and penury.
15. Both themselves and all that15. Those that remaine of him shall be buried in death; and his widowes shall not weep. come of them shall be hated, so that no man shall speak well of them when they are dead, but their name shall be buried and shall rot with them, yea, they shall die undesired and unlamented of their owne very wives which they leave behinde them, and of those funerall-women which are wont to bewaile the deaths of the well-deserving, and to weepe over their graves.
16. How ever they abound in all16. Though he heap up silver as the dust, and repaire raiment as the clay; kinde of worldly wealth;
17. Which I confesse for present17. He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shal divide the silver. God may permit them to doe, but they nor theirs shall be never the better for it, it shall come againe to the just and innocent from whom they had it.
18. They may lay up and build, but18. Hee buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh. to little purpose, for all shall b… lost and puld downe againe in a very little time, even as the moth is brushed out of the garment where shee had made her nest; or as the shepheard removes his Cabin.
19. The rich oppressour for all his19. The rich man shall lie downe, but hee shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and hee is not. riches shall one day die, as other men doe, but he shall not be brought to his grave as others are with sorrow for his death; upon his death-bed hee shall looke about for comfort and recovery, but in stead thereof shall see himselfe departing from all his former happinesse, and death at hand.
20. And then shall an infinit weight20. Terrours take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night. of terrors oppresse him, and the wrath of the Lord shall take him away when he expected it least.
21. The fierce anger of the Lord21. The East-winde carrieth him away, and he departeth: and a storm hurleth him out of his place. shall force him hence, full sore against his will, never to returne againe, which shall with irresistable strength thrust him out of his Paradise.
22. For God shall heape afflictions22. For God shall cast upon him and not spare; he would faine flie out of his hand. on him as thicke as hailestones, without shewing him any mercy at all, and in vaine shall he seeke to escape him.
23. Nor shall any man be sorry for23. Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hisse him out of his place. his death, but hee shall depart hence with the reproach and obloquie of all men.