Job 31
1 “I made a covenant for my eyes, And how do I attend to a virgin?
I made a couenant with mine eyes: why then should I thinke on a mayde?
2 And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?
For what portion should I haue of God from aboue? and what inheritance of the Almightie from on hie?
3 Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?
Is not destruction to the wicked and strange punishment to the workers of iniquitie?
4 Does He not see my ways, And number all my steps?
Doeth not he beholde my wayes and tell all my steps?
5 If I have walked with vanity, And my foot hurries to deceit,
If I haue walked in vanitie, or if my foote hath made haste to deceite,
6 He weighs me in righteous balances, And God knows my integrity.
Let God weigh me in the iust balance, and he shall know mine vprightnes.
7 If my step turns aside from the way, And my heart has gone after my eyes, And blemish has cleaved to my hands,
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,
8 Let me sow—and another eat, And let my products be rooted out.
Let me sowe, and let another eate: yea, let my plantes be rooted out.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman, And I laid wait by the opening of my neighbor,
If mine heart hath bene deceiued by a woman, or if I haue layde wayte at the doore of my neighbour,
10 Let my wife grind to another, And let others bend over her.
Let my wife grinde vnto another man, and let other men bow downe vpon her:
11 For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;
For this is a wickednes, and iniquitie to bee condemned:
12 For it [is] a fire, it consumes to destruction, And takes root among all my increase,
Yea, this is a fire that shall deuoure to destruction, and which shall roote out al mine increase,
13 If I despise the cause of my manservant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,
If I did contemne the iudgement of my seruant, and of my mayde, when they did contend with me,
14 Then what do I do when God arises? And when He inspects, What do I answer Him?
What then shall I do when God standeth vp? and when he shall visit me, what shall I answere?
15 Did He that made me in the womb not make him? Indeed, One prepares us in the womb.
He that hath made me in the wombe, hath he not made him? hath not he alone facioned vs in the wombe?
16 If I withhold the poor from pleasure, And consume the eyes of the widow,
If I restrained the poore of their desire, or haue caused the eyes of the widow to faile,
17 And I eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan has nothing [to] eat of it,
Or haue eaten my morsels alone, and the fatherles hath not eaten thereof,
18 (But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led),
(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 see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering for the needy,
If I haue seene any perish for want of clothing, or any poore without couering,
20 If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He does not warm himself,
If his loynes haue not blessed me, because he was warmed with the fleece of my sheepe,
21 If I have waved my hand at the fatherless, When I see [him] in the gate of my court,
If I haue lift vp mine hande against the fatherlesse, when I saw that I might helpe him in the gate,
22 Let my shoulder fall from its blade, And the bone from my arm be broken.
Let mine arme fal from my shoulder, and mine arme be broken from the bone.
23 For calamity [from] God [is] a dread to me, And because of His excellence I am not able.
For Gods punishment was fearefull vnto me, and I could not be deliuered from his highnes.
24 If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, My trust;
If I made gold mine hope, or haue sayd to the wedge of golde, Thou art my confidence,
25 If I rejoice because my wealth [is] great, And because my hand has found abundance,
If I reioyced because my substance was great, or because mine hand had gotten much,
26 If I see the light when it shines, And the precious moon walking,
If I did behold the sunne, when it shined, or the moone, walking in her brightnes,
27 And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand kisses my mouth,
If mine heart did flatter me in secrete, or if my mouth did kisse mine hand,
28 It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.
(This also had bene an iniquitie to be condemned: for I had denied the God aboue)
29 If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,
If I reioyced at his destruction that hated me, or was mooued to ioye when euill came vpon him,
30 Indeed, I have not permitted my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.
Neither haue I suffred my mouth to sinne, by wishing a curse vnto his soule.
31 If not, say, O men of my tent: O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.
Did not the men of my Tabernacle say, Who shall giue vs of his flesh? we can not bee satisfied.
32 A stranger does not lodge in the street, I open my doors to the traveler.
The stranger did not lodge in the streete, but I opened my doores vnto him, that went by the way.
33 If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, To hide my iniquity in my bosom,
If I haue hid my sinne, as Adam, concealing mine iniquitie in my bosome,
34 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.
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.
35 Who gives to me a hearing? Behold, my mark. The Mighty One answers me, And my adversary has written a bill.
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,
36 If not—on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it [as] a crown on myself.
Woulde not I take it vpon my shoulder, and binde it as a crowne vnto me?
37 The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.
I will tell him the nomber of my goings, and goe vnto him as to a prince.
38 If my land cries out against me, And together its furrows weep,
If my lande cry against me, or the furrowes thereof complayne together,
39 If I consumed its strength without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,
If I haue eaten the fruites thereof without siluer: or if I haue grieued the soules of the masters thereof,
40 Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed!” The words of Job are finished.
Let thistles growe in steade of wheate, and cockle in the stead of Barley. The wordes of Iob are ended.
