Job 31

1 I made a couenant with mine eyes: why then should I thinke on a mayde?

“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].

2 For what portion should I haue of God from aboue? and what inheritance of the Almightie from on hie?

[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 Is not destruction to the wicked and strange punishment to the workers of iniquitie?

[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 Doeth not he beholde my wayes and tell all my steps?

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 If I haue walked in vanitie, or if my foote hath made haste to deceite,

[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.

6 Let God weigh me in the iust balance, and he shall know mine vprightnes.

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 If my steppe hath turned out of the way, or mine heart hath walked after mine eye, or if any blot hath cleaued to mine handes,

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 Let me sowe, and let another eate: yea, let my plantes be rooted out.

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 If mine heart hath bene deceiued by a woman, or if I haue layde wayte at the doore of my neighbour,

“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 Let my wife grinde vnto another man, and let other men bow downe vpon her:

I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.

11 For this is a wickednes, and iniquitie to bee condemned:

[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.

12 Yea, this is a fire that shall deuoure to destruction, and which shall roote out al mine increase,

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 If I did contemne the iudgement of my seruant, and of my mayde, when they did contend with me,

“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 What then shall I do when God standeth vp? and when he shall visit me, what shall I answere?

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 He that hath made me in the wombe, hath he not made him? hath not he alone facioned vs in the wombe?

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 If I restrained the poore of their desire, or haue caused the eyes of the widow to faile,

“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 Or haue eaten my morsels alone, and the fatherles hath not eaten thereof,

18 (For from my youth hee hath growen vp with me as with a father, and from my mothers wombe I haue bene a guide vnto her)

19 If I haue seene any perish for want of clothing, or any poore without couering,

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 If his loynes haue not blessed me, because he was warmed with the fleece of my sheepe,

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 If I haue lift vp mine hande against the fatherlesse, when I saw that I might helpe him in the gate,

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 Let mine arme fal from my shoulder, and mine arme be broken from the bone.

[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 For Gods punishment was fearefull vnto me, and I could not be deliuered from his highnes.

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 If I made gold mine hope, or haue sayd to the wedge of golde, Thou art my confidence,

“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],

25 If I reioyced because my substance was great, or because mine hand had gotten much,

or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,

26 If I did behold the sunne, when it shined, or the moone, walking in her brightnes,

or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon

27 If mine heart did flatter me in secrete, or if my mouth did kisse mine hand,

and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,

28 (This also had bene an iniquitie to be condemned: for I had denied the God aboue)

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 If I reioyced at his destruction that hated me, or was mooued to ioye when euill came vpon him,

“[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 Neither haue I suffred my mouth to sinne, by wishing a curse vnto his soule.

31 Did not the men of my Tabernacle say, Who shall giue vs of his flesh? we can not bee satisfied.

[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 The stranger did not lodge in the streete, but I opened my doores vnto him, that went by the way.

33 If I haue hid my sinne, as Adam, concealing mine iniquitie in my bosome,

Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;

34 Though I could haue made afraid a great multitude, yet the most contemptible of the families did feare me: so I kept silence, and went not out of the doore.

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 Oh that I had some to heare me! beholde my signe that the Almightie will witnesse for me: though mine aduersary should write a booke against me,

“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 Woulde not I take it vpon my shoulder, and binde it as a crowne vnto me?

[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 I will tell him the nomber of my goings, and goe vnto him as to a prince.

I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.

38 If my lande cry against me, or the furrowes thereof complayne together,

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 If I haue eaten the fruites thereof without siluer: or if I haue grieued the soules of the masters thereof,

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 Let thistles growe in steade of wheate, and cockle in the stead of Barley. The wordes of Iob are ended.

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].