Job 31
1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
“I made a covenant for my eyes, And how do I attend to a virgin?
2 For what is the allotment of God from above, or the heritage from the Almighty on high?
And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?
3 Does not disaster come to the unjust and calamity to the workers of iniquity?
Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?
4 Does He not see my ways and count my every step?
Does He not see my ways, And number all my steps?
5 If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has rushed to deceit,
If I have walked with vanity, And my foot hurries to deceit,
6 let God weigh me with honest scales, that He may know my integrity.
He weighs me in righteous balances, And God knows my integrity.
7 If my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has followed my eyes, or if impurity has stuck to my hands,
If my step turns aside from the way, And my heart has gone after my eyes, And blemish has cleaved to my hands,
8 then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.
Let me sow—and another eat, And let my products be rooted out.
9 If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife, or I have lurked at his door,
If my heart has been enticed by a woman, And I laid wait by the opening of my neighbor,
10 then may my own wife grind grain for another, and may other men sleep with her.
Let my wife grind to another, And let others bend over her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime, an iniquity to be judged.
For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;
12 For it is a fire that burns down to Abaddon; it would root out my entire harvest.
For it [is] a fire, it consumes to destruction, And takes root among all my increase,
13 If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me,
If I despise the cause of my manservant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,
14 what will I do when God rises to judge? How will I answer when called to account?
Then what do I do when God arises? And when He inspects, What do I answer Him?
15 Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?
Did He that made me in the womb not make him? Indeed, One prepares us in the womb.
16 If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
If I withhold the poor from pleasure, And consume the eyes of the widow,
17 if I have eaten my morsel alone, not sharing it with the fatherless—
And I eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan has nothing [to] eat of it,
18 though from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—
(But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led),
19 if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak,
If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering for the needy,
20 if his heart has not blessed me for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,
If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He does not warm himself,
21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,
If I have waved my hand at the fatherless, When I see [him] in the gate of my court,
22 then may my arm fall from my shoulder and be torn from its socket.
Let my shoulder fall from its blade, And the bone from my arm be broken.
23 For calamity from God terrifies me, and His splendor I cannot overpower.
For calamity [from] God [is] a dread to me, And because of His excellence I am not able.
24 If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security,
If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, My trust;
25 if I have rejoiced in my great wealth because my hand had gained so much,
If I rejoice because my wealth [is] great, And because my hand has found abundance,
26 if I have beheld the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
If I see the light when it shines, And the precious moon walking,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand kisses my mouth,
28 this would also be an iniquity to be judged, for I would have denied God on high.
It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.
29 If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin, or exulted when evil befell him—
If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse—
Indeed, I have not permitted my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.
31 if the men of my house have not said, ‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—
If not, say, O men of my tent: O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.
32 but no stranger had to lodge on the street, for my door has been open to the traveler—
A stranger does not lodge in the street, I open my doors to the traveler.
33 if I have covered my transgressions like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart,
If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, To hide my iniquity in my bosom,
34 because I greatly feared the crowds and the contempt of the clans terrified me, so that I kept silent and would not go outside—
Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families frightens me, Then I am silent, I do not go out of the opening.
35 (Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature. Let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser compose an indictment.
Who gives to me a hearing? Behold, my mark. The Mighty One answers me, And my adversary has written a bill.
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown.
If not—on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it [as] a crown on myself.
37 I would give account of all my steps; I would approach Him like a prince.)—
The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.
38 if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,
If my land cries out against me, And together its furrows weep,
39 if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,
If I consumed its strength without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,
40 then let briers grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.” Thus conclude the words of Job.
Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed!” The words of Job are finished.
