Job 31
1 A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what — do I attend to a virgin?
I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then should I look with desire on a virgin?
2 And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?
For what is the portion from God above, the inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?
I used to think that calamity is for unrighteous people, and that disaster is for doers of wickedness.
4 Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?
Does not God see my ways and count all my steps?
5 If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,
If I have walked with falsehood, if my foot has hurried to deceit,
6 He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.
let me be weighed in an even balance so that God will know my integrity.
7 If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,
If my step has turned aside from the way, if my heart has gone after my eyes, if any spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me sow — and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.
then let me sow, and let another eat, and let my crops be uprooted.
9 If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,
If my heart has been deceived by a woman, if I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
10 Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.
then let my wife grind grain for another, and let others bow down on her.
11 For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;
For that would be a terrible crime; indeed, it would be a crime to be punished by judges.
12 For a fire it [is], to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,
For that is a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon, and it would burn all my harvest to the root.
13 If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,
If I ignored the plea for justice from my male or female servant when they argued with me,
14 Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?
what then would I do when God rises up to accuse me? When he comes to judge me, how would I answer him?
15 Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.
Did the one who made me in the womb not make them also? Did not the same one mold us all in the womb?
16 If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,
If I have withheld poor people from their desire, or if I have caused the eyes of the widow to grow dim from crying,
17 And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,
or if I have eaten my morsel alone and not allowed those without fathers to eat it also—
18 (But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.)
because from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father, and I have guided his mother, a widow, from my own mother's womb.
19 If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,
If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or if I have seen that a needy man had no clothing;
20 If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,
if his heart has not blessed me because he has not been warmed with the wool of my sheep,
21 If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in [him] the gate of my court,
if I have lifted up my hand against fatherless people because I saw my support in the city gate, then bring charges against me!
22 My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.
If I have done these things, then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and let my arm be broken from its joint.
23 For a dread unto me [is] calamity [from] God, And because of His excellency I am not able.
For I dreaded destruction from God; because of his majesty, I was not able to do those things.
24 If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, 'My trust,'
If I have made gold my hope, and if I have said to fine gold, 'You are what I am confident in';
25 If I rejoice because great [is] my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,
if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, because my hand had gotten many possessions, then bring charges against me!
26 If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,
If I have seen the sun when it shone, or the moon walking in its brightness,
27 And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,
and if my heart has been secretly attracted, so that my mouth has kissed my hand in worship of them—
28 It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.
this also would be a crime to be punished by judges, for I would have denied the God who is above.
29 If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,
If I have rejoiced at the destruction of anyone who hated me or congratulated myself when disaster overtook him, then bring charges against me!
30 Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.
Indeed, I have not even allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse.
31 If not — say ye, O men of my tent, 'O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'
If the men of my tent have never said, 'Who can find one who has not been filled with Job's food?'
32 In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.
(even the foreigner has never had to stay in the city square, because I have always opened my doors to the traveler), and if that is not so, then bring charges against me!
33 If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,
If, like mankind, I have hidden my sins by hiding my guilt inside my tunic
34 Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.
(because I feared the great multitude, because the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silent and would not go outside), then bring charges against me!
35 Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.
Oh, if only I had someone to hear me! See, here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me! If only I had the indictment that my opponent has written!
36 If not — on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.
Surely I would carry it openly on my shoulder; I would put it on like a crown.
37 The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.
I would declare to him an accounting for my steps; as a confident prince I would go up to him.
38 If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,
If my land ever cries out against me, and its furrows weep together,
39 If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,
if I have eaten its harvest without paying for it or have caused its owners to lose their lives,
40 Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.
then let thorns grow instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are finished.
