Job 31

1 I made a covenant with mine eyes, and I will not think upon a virgin.

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

2 Now what portion has God given from above? and is there an inheritance [given] of the Mighty One from the highest?

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

3 Alas! destruction to the unrighteous, and rejection to them that do iniquity.

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

4 Will he not see my way, and number all my steps?

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

5 But if I had gone with scorners, and if too my foot has hasted to deceit:

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

6 (for I am weighed in a just balance, and the Lord knows my innocence: )

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

7 if my foot has turned aside out of the way, or if mine heart has followed mine eye, and if too I have touched gifts with 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 then let me sow, and let others eat; and let me be uprooted on the earth.

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

9 If my heart has gone forth after another man's wife, and if I laid wait at her doors;

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

10 then let my wife also please another, and let my children be brought low.

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

11 For the rage of anger is not to be controlled, [in the case] of defiling [another] man's wife.

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

12 For it is a fire burning on every side, and whoever it attacks, it utterly destroys.

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

13 And if too I despised the judgment of my servant or [my] handmaid, when they pleaded with me;

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

14 what then shall I do if the Lord should try me? and if also he should at all visit me, can I make an answer?

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

15 Were not they too formed as I also was formed in the womb? yes, we were formed in the same womb.

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

16 But the helpless missed not whatever need they had, and I did not cause the eye of the widow to fail.

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

17 And if too I ate my morsel alone, and did not impart [of it] to the orphan;

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

18 (for I nourished [them] as a father from my youth and guided [them] 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 And if too I overlooked the naked as he was perishing, and did not clothe him;

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

20 and if the poor did not bless me, and their shoulders 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 lifted my hand against an orphan, trusting that my strength was far superior [to his]:

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

22 let them my shoulder start from the blade-bone, and my arm be crushed off from the elbow.

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

23 For the fear of the Lord constrained me, and I can’t bear up by reason of his burden.

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

24 If I made gold my treasure, and if too I trusted the precious stone;

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

25 and if too I rejoiced when my wealth was abundant, and if too I laid my hand on innumerable [treasures]:

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

26 (do we not see the shining sun eclipsed, and the moon waning? for they have not [power to continue]: )

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

27 and if my heart was secretly deceived, and if I have laid my hand upon my mouth and kissed it:

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

28 let this also then be reckoned to me as the greatest iniquity: for I [should] have lied against the Lord Most High.

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

29 And if too I was glad at the fall of mine enemies, and mine heart said, Aha!

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

30 let then mine ear hear my curse, and let me be a byword among my people in my affliction.

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

31 And if too my handmaids have often said, Oh that we might be satisfied with his flesh; (whereas I was very kind:

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

32 for the stranger did not lodge without, and my door was opened to every one that came: )

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

33 or if too having sinned unintentionally, I hid my sin;

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

34 (for I did not stand in awe of a great multitude, so as not to declare boldly before them: ) and if too I permitted a poor man to go out of my door with an empty bosom:

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 a hearer, ) and if I had not feared the hand of the Lord; and [as to] the written charge which I had against any one,

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

36 I would place [it] as a chaplet on my shoulders, and read it.

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

37 And if I did not read it and return it, having taken nothing from the debtor:

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

38 If at any time the land groaned against me, and if its furrows mourned together;

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

39 and if I ate its strength alone without price, and if I too grieved the heart of the owner of the soil, by taking [anything] from [him]:

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

40 then let the nettle come up to me instead of wheat, and a bramble instead of barley. And Job ceased speaking.

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