Job 31
1 Jeg gjorde en Pagt med mine Øjne, og hvad skulde jeg agte paa en Jomfru?
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 Og hvad for en Lod vilde Gud have givet ovenfra og hvad for en Arv den Almægtige fra det høje?
[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!
3 Mon ikke Ulykke er beredt for den uretfærdige og Undergang for dem, som gøre Uret?
[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.
4 Mon han ikke ser mine Veje og tæller alle mine Skridt?
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.
5 Dersom jeg har vandret med Falskhed, og min Fod har hastet til Svig,
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 — han veje mig paa Retfærdigheds Vægtskaaler, og Gud kende min Uskyldighed —
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).
7 dersom min Gang har bøjet af fra Vejen, og mit Hjerte er gaaet efter mine Øjne, og en Plet har klæbet ved mine Hænder:
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,
8 Da gid jeg maa saa, men en anden æde, og mit Afkom maa oprykkes med Rod.
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.
9 Dersom mit Hjerte er forlokket til en Kvinde, og jeg har luret ved min Næstes Dør:
“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],
10 Da gid min Hustru maa male for en anden, og andre bøje sig over hende.
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 Thi det var en Skændselsgerning, og det var en Misgerning, som hørte hen for Dommerne;
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 thi det var en Ild, som fortærede indtil Afgrunden, og som skulde have oprykket al min Afgrøde med Rode.
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)
13 Dersom jeg havde foragtet min Tjeners eller min Tjenestepiges Ret, naar de trættede med mig;
“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,
14 — og hvad vilde jeg gøre, naar Gud vilde opstaa? og naar han vilde hjemsøge, hvad skulde jeg svare ham?
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]
15 har ikke han, som skabte mig i Moders Liv, skabt ham? og har ikke en og den samme beredt os i Moderskød? —
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].
16 dersom jeg har nægtet de ringe deres Begæring og ladet Enkens Øjne vansmægte,
“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]),
17 og jeg har ædt min Mundbid for mig alene, saa at den faderløse ikke aad deraf;
18 — tværtimod, han er opvokset hos mig som hos en Fader fra min Ungdom af, og hende ledede jeg, fra min Moders Liv af —
19 dersom jeg har set en forkommen, uden Klæder, og at den fattige intet Dække havde;
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],
20 dersom hans Lænder ikke have velsignet mig, medens han varmede sig ved Ulden af mine Faar;
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, ]
21 dersom jeg har løftet min Haand imod den faderløse, fordi jeg saa Hjælp for mig i Porten:
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);
22 Da gid min Skulder maa falde fra Skulderbladet, og min Arm brydes fra Armpiben!
[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.
23 Thi en Rædsel vilde være kommen over mig, en Ulykke fra Gud, og imod hans Højhed formaaede jeg intet.
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].
24 Dersom jeg har sat Guld til mit Haab eller sagt til det kostelige Guld: Du er min Tillid;
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 dersom jeg har glædet mig, at mit Gods var meget, og at min Haand havde forhvervet mangfoldigt;
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 dersom jeg har set til Sollyset, naar det skinnede, eller til Maanen, naar den gaar herlig,
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 og mit Hjerte har ladet sig forlokke i Løndom, saa at min Mund kyssede min Haand:
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 — Ogsaa dette havde været en Misgerning, som hørte hen under Dommerne; thi jeg havde hyklet for Gud i det høje —!
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].
29 dersom jeg har glædet mig over min Fjendes Undergang og jublet, naar Ulykken ramte ham;
“[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].
30 — men jeg tilstedede ikke min Gane at synde, saa at jeg under Forbandelse begærede hans Sjæl —
31 dersom ikke Mændene i mit Telt have sagt: Hvor finder man nogen, som ikke er bleven mæt af hans Kød?
[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]!
32 — den fremmede maatte ikke ligge udenfor om Natten, jeg lod mine Døre op for vejfarende —
33 dersom jeg har skjult mine Overtrædelser som Adam og dulgt min Misgerning i min Barm,
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 fordi jeg frygtede den store Hob, og Slægters Foragt kunde have forfærdet mig, saa at jeg tav og ikke gik ud af en Dør —
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.
35 Havde jeg dog den, som vilde høre paa mig! se her min Underskrift — den Almægtige svare mig — og her den Klage, min Modpart har opsat;
“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.
36 sandelig, jeg skulde tage den paa min Skulder, jeg skulde binde den omkring mig som et Hovedsmykke!
[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].
37 Jeg vil tilkendegive ham ethvert af mine Skridt, som en Fyrste vil jeg nærme mig ham.
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 Dersom min Ager raaber imod mig, og alle dens Furer græde;
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;
39 dersom jeg har fortæret dens Grøde uden at have betalt den og udblæst Sjælen fra dens Ejermand:
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];
40 Gid da vokse Tjørn i Stedet for Hvede, og Ukrudt i Stedet for Byg; — Jobs Ord have Ende.
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].
