Job 21:27

THE MESSAGE

"I'm not deceived. I know what you're up to, the plans you're cooking up to bring me down. Naively you claim that the castles of tyrants fall to pieces, that the achievements of the wicked collapse. Have you ever asked world travelers how they see it? Have you not listened to their stories Of evil men and women who got off scot-free, who never had to pay for their wickedness? Did anyone ever confront them with their crimes? Did they ever have to face the music? Not likely—they're given fancy funerals with all the trimmings, Gently lowered into expensive graves, with everyone telling lies about how wonderful they were.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I know your thoughts very well,the schemes by which you would wrong me.

Hebrew Names Version
"Behold, I know your thoughts, The devices with which you would wrong me.

King James Version
Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.

English Standard Version
"Behold, I know your thoughts and your schemes to wrong me.

New Century Version
"I know very well your thoughts and your plans to wrong me.

New English Translation
"Yes, I know what you are thinking, the schemes by which you would wrong me.

Amplified Bible
"Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plots by which you would wrong me.

New American Standard Bible
"Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plots you devise against me.

World English Bible
"Behold, I know your thoughts, The devices with which you would wrong me.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Behold, I know your thoughts, and the enterprises, wherewith ye do me wrong.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Behold, I know your thoughts,And the plans by which you do violence against me.

Berean Standard Bible
Behold, I know your thoughts full well, the schemes by which you would wrong me.

Contemporary English Version
My friends, I know that you are plotting against me.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Look, I know what you are thinking and your plans to do me wrong.

Darby Translation
Lo, I know your thoughts, and the devices ye wrongfully imagine against me.

Easy-to-Read Version
"But I know what you are thinking, and I know you want to hurt me.

George Lamsa Translation
Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which you wrongfully imagine against me.

Good News Translation
I know what spiteful thoughts you have.

Lexham English Bible
"Look, I know your thoughts and the schemes you devise against me.

Literal Translation
Behold, I know your thoughts, and the plots you would wrongfully do against me;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But I knowe what ye thinke, yee and what ye ymagin agaynst me vnrightuously.

American Standard Version
Behold, I know your thoughts, And the devices wherewith ye would wrong me.

Bible in Basic English
See, I am conscious of your thoughts, and of your violent purposes against me;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.

King James Version (1611)
Behold, I know your thoughts, and the deuices which yee wrongfully imagine against me.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Beholde, I know what ye thinke, yea and the subtiltie that ye imagine against me.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So I know you, that ye presumptuously attack me:

English Revised Version
Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Certis Y knowe youre wickid thouytis, and sentensis ayens me.

Update Bible Version
Look, I know your thoughts, And the devices with which you would wrong me.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices [which] ye wrongfully imagine against me.

New King James Version
"Look, I know your thoughts, And the schemes with which you would wrong me.

New Living Translation
"Look, I know what you're thinking. I know the schemes you plot against me.

New Life Bible
"See, I know your thoughts and your plans to wrong me.

New Revised Standard
"Oh, I know your thoughts, and your schemes to wrong me.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lo! I know your plans, and the devices, wherewith ye would do me violence!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Surely I know your thoughts, and your unjust judgments against me.

Revised Standard Version
"Behold, I know your thoughts, and your schemes to wrong me.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, I have known your thoughts, And the devices against me ye do wrongfully.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plans by which you would wrong me.

Contextual Overview

²⁷"I'm not deceived. I know what you're up to, the plans you're cooking up to bring me down. Naively you claim that the castles of tyrants fall to pieces, that the achievements of the wicked collapse. Have you ever asked world travelers how they see it? Have you not listened to their stories Of evil men and women who got off scot-free, who never had to pay for their wickedness? Did anyone ever confront them with their crimes? Did they ever have to face the music? Not likely—they're given fancy funerals with all the trimmings, Gently lowered into expensive graves, with everyone telling lies about how wonderful they were. ³⁴ "So how do you expect me to get any comfort from your nonsense? Your so-called comfort is a tissue of lies."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I know: Job 4:8-11, Job 5:3-5, Job 8:3-6, Job 15:20-35, Job 20:5, Job 20:29, Luke 5:22

ye wrongfully: Job 32:3, Job 42:7, Psalms 59:4, Psalms 119:86, 1 Peter 2:19

Reciprocal: Job 9:29 - General Job 13:4 - ye are forgers Job 16:17 - Not for Job 19:7 - I cry Job 20:19 - Because Job 22:5 - not thy Job 22:20 - our substance Job 33:32 - General Job 36:4 - my John 9:3 - Neither 1 Corinthians 13:5 - thinketh James 2:4 - judges

Cross-References

Genesis 21:22
At about that same time, Abimelech and the captain of his troops, Phicol, spoke to Abraham: "No matter what you do, God is on your side. So swear to me that you won't do anything underhanded to me or any of my family. For as long as you live here, swear that you'll treat me and my land as well as I've treated you."

Genesis 21:31
That's how the place got named Beersheba (the Oath-Well), because the two of them swore a covenant oath there. After they had made the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and his commander, Phicol, left and went back to Philistine territory.

1 Samuel 18:3
Jonathan, out of his deep love for David, made a covenant with him. He formalized it with solemn gifts: his own royal robe and weapons—armor, sword, bow, and belt.

Proverbs 17:8
Receiving a gift is like getting a rare gemstone; any way you look at it, you see beauty refracted.

Proverbs 18:16
A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people.

Proverbs 18:24
Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Proverbs 21:14
A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person; a heartfelt present cools a hot temper.

Ezekiel 17:13
The Great Tree Is Made Small and the Small Tree Great God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story. Say, ‘ God , the Master, says: "‘A great eagle with a huge wingspan and long feathers, In full plumage and bright colors, came to Lebanon And took the top off a cedar, broke off the top branch, Took it to a land of traders, and set it down in a city of shopkeepers. Then he took a cutting from the land and planted it in good, well-watered soil, like a willow on a riverbank. It sprouted into a flourishing vine, low to the ground. Its branches grew toward the eagle and the roots became established— A vine putting out shoots, developing branches. "‘There was another great eagle with a huge wingspan and thickly feathered. This vine sent out its roots toward him from the place where it was planted. Its branches reached out to him so he could water it from a long distance. It had been planted in good, well-watered soil, And it put out branches and bore fruit, and became a noble vine. "‘ God , the Master, says, Will it thrive? Won't he just pull it up by the roots and leave the grapes to rot And the branches to shrivel up, a withered, dead vine? It won't take much strength or many hands to pull it up. Even if it's transplanted, will it thrive? When the hot east wind strikes it, won't it shrivel up? Won't it dry up and blow away from the place where it was planted?'" God 's Message came to me: "Tell this house of rebels, ‘Do you get it? Do you know what this means?' "Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its leaders back to Babylon. He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, making him swear his loyalty. The king of Babylon took all the top leaders into exile to make sure that this kingdom stayed weak—didn't get any big ideas of itself—and kept the covenant with him so that it would have a future. "‘But he rebelled and sent emissaries to Egypt to recruit horses and a big army. Do you think that's going to work? Are they going to get by with this? Does anyone break a covenant and get off scot-free? "‘As sure as I am the living God, this king who broke his pledge of loyalty and his covenant will die in that country, in Babylon. Pharaoh with his big army—all those soldiers!—won't lift a finger to fight for him when Babylon sets siege to the city and kills everyone inside. Because he broke his word and broke the covenant, even though he gave his solemn promise, because he went ahead and did all these things anyway, he won't escape. "‘Therefore, God , the Master, says, As sure as I am the living God, because the king despised my oath and broke my covenant, I'll bring the consequences crashing down on his head. I'll send out a search party and catch him. I'll take him to Babylon and have him brought to trial because of his total disregard for me. All his elite soldiers, along with the rest of the army, will be killed in battle, and whoever is left will be scattered to the four winds. Then you'll realize that I, God , have spoken. "‘ God , the Master, says, I personally will take a shoot from the top of the towering cedar, a cutting from the crown of the tree, and plant it on a high and towering mountain, on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow, putting out branches and fruit—a majestic cedar. Birds of every sort and kind will live under it. They'll build nests in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will recognize that I, God , made the great tree small and the small tree great, made the green tree turn dry and the dry tree sprout green branches. I, God , said it—and I did it.'"

Galatians 3:15
Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person's will has been ratified, no one else can annul it or add to it. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. You will observe that Scripture, in the careful language of a legal document, does not say "to descendants," referring to everybody in general, but "to your descendant" (the noun, note, is singular), referring to Christ. This is the way I interpret this: A will, earlier ratified by God, is not annulled by an addendum attached 430 years later, thereby negating the promise of the will. No, this addendum, with its instructions and regulations, has nothing to do with the promised inheritance in the will. What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us. Obviously this law was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, Moses. But if there is a middleman as there was at Sinai, then the people are not dealing directly with God, are they? But the original promise is the direct blessing of God, received by faith. If such is the case, is the law, then, an anti-promise, a negation of God's will for us? Not at all. Its purpose was to make obvious to everyone that we are, in ourselves, out of right relationship with God, and therefore to show us the futility of devising some religious system for getting by our own efforts what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to complete his promise. For if any kind of rule-keeping had power to create life in us, we would certainly have gotten it by this time. Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for. But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise. In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous "descendant," heirs according to the covenant promises.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Behold, I know your thoughts,.... God only truly, really, and in fact, knows the thoughts of men; this is his peculiar prerogative, he only is the searcher of the hearts and the trier of the reins of the children of men. Christ, the eternal Logos, or Word, by his being a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, appears to be truly God. No man knows the things of a than, or the thoughts of his heart, but himself, and such to whomsoever he reveals them; but a wise and understanding man, a careful observer of men and things, may make some shrewd guesses at the thoughts of others, by hints and half words, or sentences expressed by them; by the show of their countenance, which is the index of the mind, and by the gestures and motions of their bodies; by these they may in a good measure judge whether they like or dislike, approve or, disapprove, of what is said to them: and thus Job knew the thoughts of his friends, that they were different from his, that the sentiments of their minds did not agree with his; and though he had so clearly proved his point, yet he saw by their looks and gestures that what he had said was not satisfactory to them; that they did not think it a sufficient confutation of their arguments, and a full answer to their objections:

and the devices [which] ye wrongfully imagine against me; that he was an hypocrite, a wicked man, guilty of crimes, and which they were devising to produce against him, and charge and load him with, as Eliphaz does in the following chapter; he knew they meant him in all that they had said concerning wicked men, and their afflictions, and what would be their portion at death, and after it; and though they did not name his name, they might as well have done it, since he was the man they struck at in all, particularly it, Job 20:5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Behold, I know your thoughts - That is, “I see that you are not satisfied, and that you are disposed still to maintain your former position. You will be ready to ask, Where “are” the proofs of the prosperity of the wicked? Where “are” the palaces of the mighty? Where “are” the dwelling places of ungodly men!”

And the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me - The course of sophistical argument which you pursue, the tendency and design of which is to prove that I am a wicked man. You artfully lay down the position, that the wicked must be, and are in fact, overwhelmed with calamities, and then you infer, that because “I” am overwhelmed in this manner, I “must be” a wicked man.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 21:27. I know your thoughts — Ye still think that, because I am grievously afflicted, I must therefore be a felonious transgressor.