Job 31

1 “I made a covenant for my eyes, And how do I attend to a virgin?

I made a covenant with mine eyes; How then could I gaze upon a maid?

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

For what is the portion appointed by God from above, And the inheritance allotted by the Almighty from on high?

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

Is not destruction for the wicked, And ruin for the workers of iniquity?

4 Does He not see my ways, And number all my steps?

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

5 If I have walked with vanity, And my foot hurries to deceit,

If I have walked with falsehood, And if my foot hath hasted to deceit,

6 He weighs me in righteous balances, And God knows my integrity.

Let him weigh me in an even balance; Yea, let God know my integrity!

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 steps have turned aside from the way, And my heart gone after mine eyes, Or if any stain hath cleaved to my hand,

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

Then I may sow, and another eat; And what I plant, may it be rooted up!

9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman, And I laid wait by the opening of my neighbor,

If my heart hath been enticed by a woman, Or if I have watched at my neighbor's door,

10 Let my wife grind to another, And let others bend over her.

Then let my wife grind for another, And let other men lie with her!

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

For this were a heinous crime, Even a transgression to be punished by the judges;

12 For it [is] a fire, it consumes to destruction, And takes root among all my increase,

Yea, it were a fire that would consume to destruction, And root out all my increase.

13 If I despise the cause of my manservant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,

If I have refused justice to my man-servant or maid-servant, When they had a controversy with me,

14 Then what do I do when God arises? And when He inspects, What do I answer Him?

Then what shall I do when God riseth up? And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

15 Did He that made me in the womb not make him? Indeed, One prepares us in the womb.

Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Did not one fashion us in the womb?

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

If I have refused the poor their desire, And caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

17 And I eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan has nothing [to] eat of it,

If I have eaten my morsel alone, And the fatherless hath not partaken of it;

18 (But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led),

(Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And I have helped the widow from my mother's womb; )

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

If I have seen any one perishing for want of clothing, Or any poor man without covering;

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

If his loins have not blessed me, And he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

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

If I have shaken my hand against the fatherless, Because I saw my help in the gate, —

22 Let my shoulder fall from its blade, And the bone from my arm be broken.

Then may my shoulder fill from its blade, And my fore-arm be broken from its bone!

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

For destruction from God was a terror to me, And before his majesty I could do nothing.

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

If I have made gold my trust, Or said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

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

If I have rejoiced, because my wealth was great, And my hand had found abundance;

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

If I have beheld the sun in his splendor, Or the moon advancing in brightness,

27 And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand kisses my mouth,

And my heart hath been secretly enticed, And my mouth hath kissed my hand,

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

This also were a crime to be punished by the judge; For I should have denied the God who is above.

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

If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, And exulted when evil came upon him;

30 Indeed, I have not permitted my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.

(Nay, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, By asking with curses his life; )

31 If not, say, O men of my tent: O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.

If the men of my tent have not exclaimed, “Who is there that hath not been satisfied with his meat?”

32 A stranger does not lodge in the street, I open my doors to the traveler.

The stranger did not lodge in the street; I opened my doors to the traveller.

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

Have I, after the manner of men, hidden my transgression, Concealing my iniquity in my bosom,

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.

Then let me be confounded before the great multitude! Let the contempt of families cover me with shame! Yea, let me keep silence! let me never appear abroad!

35 Who gives to me a hearing? Behold, my mark. The Mighty One answers me, And my adversary has written a bill.

O that there were one who would hear me! Behold my signature! let the Almighty answer me. And let mine adversary write down his charge!

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

Truly I would wear it upon my shoulder; I would bind it upon me as a crown.

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

I would disclose to him all my steps; I would approach him like a prince.

38 If my land cries out against me, And together its furrows weep,

If my land cry out against me, And its furrows bewail together;

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

If I have eaten of its fruits without payment, And wrung out the life of its owners,

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

Let thorns grow up instead of wheat, And noxious weeds instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.