Job 31

1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; and how should I fix my regard upon a maid?

A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what — do I attend to a virgin?

2 For what would have been [my] portion of God from above, and what the heritage of the Almighty from on high?

And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?

3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous? and misfortune for the workers of iniquity?

Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?

4 Doth not he see my ways, and number all my steps?

Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?

5 If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot hath hasted to deceit,

If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,

6 (Let me be weighed in an even balance, and God will take knowledge of my blamelessness; )

He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.

7 If my step have turned out of the way, and my heart followed mine eyes, and if any blot cleaveth to my hands;

If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,

8 Let me sow, and another eat; and let mine offspring be rooted out.

Let me sow — and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.

9 If my heart have been enticed unto a woman, so that I laid wait at my neighbour's door,

If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,

10 Let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down upon her.

Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.

11 For this is an infamy; yea, it is an iniquity [to be judged by] the judges:

For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;

12 For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.

For a fire it [is], to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,

13 If I have despised the cause of my bondman or of my bondmaid, when they contended with me,

If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,

14 What then should I do when God riseth up? and if he visited, what should I answer him?

Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?

15 Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not One fashion us in the womb?

Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.

16 If I have withheld the poor from [their] desire, or caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,

17 Or have eaten my morsel alone, so that the fatherless ate not thereof,

And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,

18 (For from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, and I have guided the [widow] from my mother's womb; )

(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 any perishing for want of clothing, or any needy without covering;

If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,

20 If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my lambs;

If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,

21 If I have lifted up my hand against an orphan, because I saw my help in the gate:

If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in [him] the gate of my court,

22 [Then] let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone!

My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.

23 For calamity from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his excellency I was powerless.

For a dread unto me [is] calamity [from] God, And because of His excellency I am not able.

24 If I have made gold my hope, or said to the fine gold, My confidence!

If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, 'My trust,'

25 If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;

If I rejoice because great [is] my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,

26 If I beheld the sun when it shone, or the moon walking in brightness,

If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,

27 And my heart have been secretly enticed, so that my mouth kissed my hand:

And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,

28 This also would be an iniquity for the judge, for I should have denied the God who is above.

It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.

29 If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, and exulted when evil befell him;

If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,

30 (Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse; )

Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.

31 If the men of my tent said not, Who shall find one that hath not been satisfied with his meat? —

If not — say ye, O men of my tent, 'O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'

32 The stranger did not lodge without; I opened my doors to the pathway.

In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.

33 If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom,

If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,

34 Because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and went not out of the door, ...

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.

35 Oh that I had one to hear me! Behold my signature: let the Almighty answer me! And let mine opponent write an accusation!

Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.

36 Would I not take it upon my shoulder? I would bind it on to me [as] a crown;

If not — on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.

37 I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I come near to him.

The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.

38 If my land cry out against me, and its furrows weep together;

If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,

39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, and have tormented to death the souls of its owners:

If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,

40 Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and tares instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.