Job 31
1 “I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
I vowed to myself never to look with desire at young women.
2 [If I did not do what I promised, ] what would God who is in heaven [MTY] do to me [RHQ]? Almighty [God] would certainly not [RHQ] give me any reward!
What should people expect to receive from God? What reward should the Almighty on high give them?
3 [Previously I thought that] surely [RHQ] it was unrighteous people who would experience calamities, and that it was those who do what is wrong who would experience disasters.
Isn't it disaster for the wicked and destruction for those who do wrong?
4 God certainly sees [RHQ] everything that I do, [so why is he causing me to suffer?] [It is as though] he counts every step that I take.
Doesn't God see everything I do—even count every step I take?
5 [“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
Have I lived a deceitful life? Have I been eager to tell lies?
6 I request only that God judge me fairly [MET], and if he does that, he will know that I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong).
No! Let God weigh me on the scales of his justice and let him discover my integrity.
7 If [it were true that] I have stopped living righteously, or [that] I [SYN] have desired the things that I look at [MTY], or [that] I am guilty of any other sin,
If I have wandered from God's way, if I have let what I see become my desires, if there's any stain of sin on my hands,
8 then I hope/wish that when I plant [seeds], someone else will [harvest the crops and] eat [them] and that others will uproot the [fruit trees] that I planted.
then let someone else eat what I have sown, and all that I have grown be uprooted.
9 “If [it were true that] I [SYN] have been attracted by some other man’s wife, or [that] I have hidden myself and waited outside [the] door [to] her [house],
If a woman has seduced me, or if I have looked for an opportunity to sleep with my neighbor's wife,
10 I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
then let my wife serve another, let other men sleep with her.
11 [For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
For that would be wicked, a sin deserving punishment,
12 My [committing adultery] would [produce in me a fire like] [MET] the fire that burns people in hell, and it would burn up everything that I own. (questioned)
for this sin is like a fire that leads to destruction, destroying everything I have.
13 “And, if [it were true that] I have ever refused to listen to one of my male or female servants when they complained to me about something,
If I had refused to listen to my menservants or maidservants when they brought their complaints to me,
14 God would arise [and declare that he would punish me]; and when he would do that, what would I do? If he would ask me [about what I have done], (what would I answer?/I would not be able to answer.) [RHQ]
what would I do when God came to judge me? How would I reply if he investigated me?
15 God, who created me, certainly also created my servants [RHQ]; surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers’ wombs [RHQ]; [so we all should behave toward each other equally].
Didn't the same God make all of us?
16 “I have guided orphans from the time that they were born; I have taken care of them since they were young. So, if [it were true that] I ate all my food myself and did not share some of it with orphans, or [that] I refused to give poor people the things that they wanted, or [that] I caused widows to live (in despair/without hope [that they would receive any help from anyone]),
Have I refused to give the poor what they needed, or caused widows to despair?
Have I even eaten just a piece of bread by myself? Haven't I always shared my food with orphans?
From when I was young I was a father to orphans and took care of widows.
19 or [that] I had seen people die [from cold] because they had no clothes, or [that] I had seen poor people who did not have clothes [to keep them warm],
If ever I saw someone needing clothes, the poor without anything to wear,
20 and they were not able to become warm [from clothes made] from the wool of my sheep with the result that they thanked me for [giving them clothes, ]
they always thanked me for the wool clothing that kept them warm.
21 or if [it were true that] I threatened to strike any orphan because I knew that the elders at the city gates would (decide in my favor);
If I raised my hand to hit an orphan, confident that if it came to court the judges would be on my side,
22 [if those things were true about me], I hope/desire that my shoulder blade would be torn out and my arm be torn from my shoulder.
then let my shoulder be pulled from its joint, my arm wrenched out of its socket.
23 I always feared that God would cause me to experience a great disaster [if I did any of those evil things], and I would not have been able to endure the powerful [things that he would do to punish me].
Since I'm terrified of what punishment God may have in store for me, and because of his majesty, I could never do this.
24 “If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
Have I put my trust in gold, calling fine gold, ‘My security’?
25 or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
Have I delighted in being rich, happy at all my wealth I had gained?
26 or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
Have I looked at the sun shining so brilliantly or the moon moving in majesty across the sky
27 and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
and been tempted to secretly worship them by kissing my hand to them in devotion?
28 those things also would be sins for which the judges would say that I must be punished, because I would have been rejecting God [by doing those things].
This too would be a sin deserving punishment for it would mean I had denied God above.
29 “[It is not true that] I [SYN] sinned by requesting God to curse people who hated me with the result that God would cause them to die. It is also not true that I was glad when they were ruined or that I rejoiced when they experienced disasters [DOU].
Have I ever been happy when disaster destroyed those who hated me, or celebrated when evil took them down?
I have never allowed my mouth to sin by putting a curse on someone's life.
31 [It is also not true that] I never welcomed travelers to stay in my tent or that I did not open my doors to them, but [forced them to] sleep in the streets. [All] the men who work for me certainly know that [RHQ]!
Haven't my family asked, ‘Is there anyone who has not eaten as much as they wanted of his food?’
I have never let strangers sleep in the street; I have opened my doors to travelers.
33 Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
Have I concealed my sins from others, hiding my wrongdoing deep inside me?
34 and I never remained silent and refused to go outside of my home because I was very (afraid of/worried about) what people would say [about me], and that they would hate/scorn me.
Was I afraid of what everybody else would think, scared of the contempt families would show me, so that I kept quiet and didn't go outside?
35 “I wish/desire that there was someone who would hear what I am saying! I solemnly declare [that all that I have said is true]. I wish that those who oppose me would write down [on a scroll] the evil things that they say that I did.
Why won't anyone listen to what I'm saying! I'm signing my name to endorse everything I've said. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write down what he is charging me with.
36 [If they did that, ] I would wear that scroll on my shoulder, or wear it on top of my head, [in order that everyone could see it].
I would hold them up high; I would wear them on my head like a crown.
37 I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
I would explain to him everything I'd done; I would hold my head high before him.
38 If [it were true that] I have stolen land, with the result that [it was as though] its furrows cried out to accuse me of stealing;
If my land has cried out against me; if her furrows have wept over me;
39 or [if it were true that] I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else’s fields without paying [for those crops], with the result that those farmers who grew those crops died [from hunger];
if I have taken its crops without payment or if I have caused harm to the farmers;
40 then I wish/desire that thorns would grow [in my fields] instead of wheat. May bad weeds grow instead of barley!” That is the end of what Job said [to his three friends].
then let thorns grow instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.
