أَيُّوبَ 31

١ 1 «عَهْدًا قَطَعْتُ لِعَيْنَيَّ، فَكَيْفَ أَتَطَلَّعُ فِي عَذْرَاءَ؟

I vowed to myself never to look with desire at young women.

٢ 2 وَمَا هِيَ قِسْمَةُ ٱللهِ مِنْ فَوْقُ، وَنَصِيبُ ٱلْقَدِيرِ مِنَ ٱلْأَعَالِي؟

What should people expect to receive from God? What reward should the Almighty on high give them?

٣ 3 أَلَيْسَ ٱلْبَوَارُ لِعَامِلِ ٱلشَّرِّ، وَٱلنُّكْرُ لِفَاعِلِي ٱلْإِثْمِ؟

Isn't it disaster for the wicked and destruction for those who do wrong?

٤ 4 أَلَيْسَ هُوَ يَنْظُرُ طُرُقِي، وَيُحْصِي جَمِيعَ خَطَوَاتِي؟

Doesn't God see everything I do—even count every step I take?

٥ 5 إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ سَلَكْتُ مَعَ ٱلْكَذِبِ، أَوْ أَسْرَعَتْ رِجْلِي إِلَى ٱلْغِشِّ،

Have I lived a deceitful life? Have I been eager to tell lies?

٦ 6 لِيَزِنِّي فِي مِيزَانِ ٱلْحَقِّ، فَيَعْرِفَ ٱللهُ كَمَالِي.

No! Let God weigh me on the scales of his justice and let him discover my integrity.

٧ 7 إِنْ حَادَتْ خَطَوَاتِي عَنِ ٱلطَّرِيقِ، وَذَهَبَ قَلْبِي وَرَاءَ عَيْنَيَّ، أَوْ لَصِقَ عَيْبٌ بِكَفِّي،

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,

٨ 8 أَزْرَعْ وَغَيْرِي يَأْكُلْ، وَفُرُوعِي تُسْتَأْصَلْ.

then let someone else eat what I have sown, and all that I have grown be uprooted.

٩ 9 «إِنْ غَوِيَ قَلْبِي عَلَى ٱمْرَأَةٍ، أَوْ كَمَنْتُ عَلَى بَابِ قَرِيبِي،

If a woman has seduced me, or if I have looked for an opportunity to sleep with my neighbor's wife,

١٠ 10 فَلْتَطْحَنِ ٱمْرَأَتِي لِآخَرَ، وَلْيَنْحَنِ عَلَيْهَا آخَرُونَ.

then let my wife serve another, let other men sleep with her.

١١ 11 لِأَنَّ هَذِهِ رَذِيلَةٌ، وَهِيَ إِثْمٌ يُعْرَضُ لِلْقُضَاةِ.

For that would be wicked, a sin deserving punishment,

١٢ 12 لِأَنَّهَا نَارٌ تَأْكُلُ حَتَّى إِلَى ٱلْهَلَاكِ، وَتَسْتَأْصِلُ كُلَّ مَحْصُولِي.

for this sin is like a fire that leads to destruction, destroying everything I have.

١٣ 13 «إِنْ كُنْتُ رَفَضْتُ حَقَّ عَبْدِي وَأَمَتِي فِي دَعْوَاهُمَا عَلَيَّ،

If I had refused to listen to my menservants or maidservants when they brought their complaints to me,

١٤ 14 فَمَاذَا كُنْتُ أَصْنَعُ حِينَ يَقُومُ ٱللهُ؟ وَإِذَا ٱفْتَقَدَ، فَبِمَاذَا أُجِيبُهُ؟

what would I do when God came to judge me? How would I reply if he investigated me?

١٥ 15 أَوَلَيْسَ صَانِعِي فِي ٱلْبَطْنِ صَانِعَهُ، وَقَدْ صَوَّرَنَا وَاحِدٌ فِي ٱلرَّحِمِ؟

Didn't the same God make all of us?

١٦ 16 إِنْ كُنْتُ مَنَعْتُ ٱلْمَسَاكِينَ عَنْ مُرَادِهِمْ، أَوْ أَفْنَيْتُ عَيْنَيِ ٱلْأَرْمَلَةِ،

Have I refused to give the poor what they needed, or caused widows to despair?

١٧ 17 أَوْ أَكَلْتُ لُقْمَتِي وَحْدِي فَمَا أَكَلَ مِنْهَا ٱلْيَتِيمُ.

Have I even eaten just a piece of bread by myself? Haven't I always shared my food with orphans?

١٨ 18 بَلْ مُنْذُ صِبَايَ كَبِرَ عِنْدِي كَأَبٍ، وَمِنْ بَطْنِ أُمِّي هَدَيْتُهَا.

From when I was young I was a father to orphans and took care of widows.

١٩ 19 إِنْ كُنْتُ رَأَيْتُ هَالِكًا لِعَدَمِ ٱللِّبْسِ أَوْ فَقِيرًا بِلَا كِسْوَةٍ،

If ever I saw someone needing clothes, the poor without anything to wear,

٢٠ 20 إِنْ لَمْ تُبَارِكْنِي حَقَوَاهُ وَقَدِ ٱسْتَدْفَأَ بِجَزَّةِ غَنَمِي.

they always thanked me for the wool clothing that kept them warm.

٢١ 21 إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ هَزَزْتُ يَدِي عَلَى ٱلْيَتِيمِ لَمَّا رَأَيْتُ عَوْنِي فِي ٱلْبَابِ،

If I raised my hand to hit an orphan, confident that if it came to court the judges would be on my side,

٢٢ 22 فَلْتَسْقُطْ عَضُدِي مِنْ كَتِفِي، وَلْتَنْكَسِرْ ذِرَاعِي مِنْ قَصَبَتِهَا،

then let my shoulder be pulled from its joint, my arm wrenched out of its socket.

٢٣ 23 لِأَنَّ ٱلْبَوَارَ مِنَ ٱللهِ رُعْبٌ عَلَيَّ، وَمِنْ جَلَالِهِ لَمْ أَسْتَطِعْ.

Since I'm terrified of what punishment God may have in store for me, and because of his majesty, I could never do this.

٢٤ 24 «إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ جَعَلْتُ ٱلذَّهَبَ عَمْدَتِي، أَوْ قُلْتُ لِلْإِبْرِيزِ: أَنْتَ مُتَّكَلِي.

Have I put my trust in gold, calling fine gold, ‘My security’?

٢٥ 25 إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ فَرِحْتُ إِذْ كَثُرَتْ ثَرْوَتِي وَلِأَنَّ يَدِي وَجَدَتْ كَثِيرًا.

Have I delighted in being rich, happy at all my wealth I had gained?

٢٦ 26 إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ نَظَرْتُ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ حِينَ ضَاءَ، أَوْ إِلَى ٱلْقَمَرِ يَسِيرُ بِٱلْبَهَاءِ،

Have I looked at the sun shining so brilliantly or the moon moving in majesty across the sky

٢٧ 27 وَغَوِيَ قَلْبِي سِرًّا، وَلَثَمَ يَدِي فَمِي،

and been tempted to secretly worship them by kissing my hand to them in devotion?

٢٨ 28 فَهَذَا أَيْضًا إِثْمٌ يُعْرَضُ لِلْقُضَاةِ، لِأَنِّي أَكُونُ قَدْ جَحَدْتُ ٱللهَ مِنْ فَوْقُ.

This too would be a sin deserving punishment for it would mean I had denied God above.

٢٩ 29 «إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ فَرِحْتُ بِبَلِيَّةِ مُبْغِضِي أَوْ شَمِتُّ حِينَ أَصَابَهُ سُوءٌ.

Have I ever been happy when disaster destroyed those who hated me, or celebrated when evil took them down?

٣٠ 30 بَلْ لَمْ أَدَعْ حَنَكِي يُخْطِئُ فِي طَلَبِ نَفْسِهِ بِلَعْنَةٍ.

I have never allowed my mouth to sin by putting a curse on someone's life.

٣١ 31 إِنْ كَانَ أَهْلُ خَيْمَتِي لَمْ يَقُولُوا: مَنْ يَأْتِي بِأَحَدٍ لَمْ يَشْبَعْ مِنْ طَعَامِهِ؟

Haven't my family asked, ‘Is there anyone who has not eaten as much as they wanted of his food?’

٣٢ 32 غَرِيبٌ لَمْ يَبِتْ فِي ٱلْخَارِجِ. فَتَحْتُ لِلْمُسَافِرِ أَبْوَابِي.

I have never let strangers sleep in the street; I have opened my doors to travelers.

٣٣ 33 إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ كَتَمْتُ كَٱلنَّاسِ ذَنْبِي لِإِخْفَاءِ إِثْمِي فِي حِضْنِي.

Have I concealed my sins from others, hiding my wrongdoing deep inside me?

٣٤ 34 إِذْ رَهِبْتُ جُمْهُورًا غَفِيرًا، وَرَوَّعَتْنِي إِهَانَةُ ٱلْعَشَائِرِ، فَكَفَفْتُ وَلَمْ أَخْرُجْ مِنَ ٱلْبَابِ.

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?

٣٥ 35 مَنْ لِي بِمَنْ يَسْمَعُنِي؟ هُوَذَا إِمْضَائِي. لِيُجِبْنِي ٱلْقَدِيرُ. وَمَنْ لِي بِشَكْوَى كَتَبَهَا خَصْمِي،

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.

٣٦ 36 فَكُنْتُ أَحْمِلُهَا عَلَى كَتِفِي. كُنْتُ أُعْصِبُهَا تَاجًا لِي.

I would hold them up high; I would wear them on my head like a crown.

٣٧ 37 كُنْتُ أُخْبِرُهُ بِعَدَدِ خَطَوَاتِي وَأَدْنُو مِنْهُ كَشَرِيفٍ.

I would explain to him everything I'd done; I would hold my head high before him.

٣٨ 38 إِنْ كَانَتْ أَرْضِي قَدْ صَرَخَتْ عَلَيَّ وَتَبَاكَتْ أَتْلَامُهَا جَمِيعًا.

If my land has cried out against me; if her furrows have wept over me;

٣٩ 39 إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ أَكَلْتُ غَلَّتَهَا بِلَا فِضَّةٍ، أَوْ أَطْفَأْتُ أَنْفُسَ أَصْحَابِهَا،

if I have taken its crops without payment or if I have caused harm to the farmers;

٤٠ 40 فَعِوَضَ ٱلْحِنْطَةِ لِيَنْبُتْ شَوْكٌ، وَبَدَلَ ٱلشَّعِيرِ زَوَانٌ». تَمَّتْ أَقْوَالُ أَيُّوبَ.

then let thorns grow instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.