Job 31
1 “I made a covenant for my eyes, And how do I attend to a virgin?
I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then should I look with desire on a virgin?
2 And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?
For what is the portion from God above, the inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?
I used to think that calamity is for unrighteous people, and that disaster is for doers of wickedness.
4 Does He not see my ways, And number all my steps?
Does not God see my ways and count all my steps?
5 If I have walked with vanity, And my foot hurries to deceit,
If I have walked with falsehood, if my foot has hurried to deceit,
6 He weighs me in righteous balances, And God knows my integrity.
let me be weighed in an even balance so that God will 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 step has turned aside from the way, if my heart has gone after my eyes, if any spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me sow—and another eat, And let my products be rooted out.
then let me sow, and let another eat, and let my crops be uprooted.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman, And I laid wait by the opening of my neighbor,
If my heart has been deceived by a woman, if I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
10 Let my wife grind to another, And let others bend over her.
then let my wife grind grain for another, and let others bow down on her.
11 For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;
For that would be a terrible crime; indeed, it would be a crime to be punished by judges.
12 For it [is] a fire, it consumes to destruction, And takes root among all my increase,
For that is a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon, and it would burn all my harvest to the root.
13 If I despise the cause of my manservant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,
If I ignored the plea for justice from my male or female servant when they argued with me,
14 Then what do I do when God arises? And when He inspects, What do I answer Him?
what then would I do when God rises up to accuse me? When he comes to judge me, how would I answer him?
15 Did He that made me in the womb not make him? Indeed, One prepares us in the womb.
Did the one who made me in the womb not make them also? Did not the same one mold us all in the womb?
16 If I withhold the poor from pleasure, And consume the eyes of the widow,
If I have withheld poor people from their desire, or if I have caused the eyes of the widow to grow dim from crying,
17 And I eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan has nothing [to] eat of it,
or if I have eaten my morsel alone and not allowed those without fathers to eat it also—
18 (But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led),
because from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father, and I have guided his mother, a widow, from my own mother's womb.
19 If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering for the needy,
If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or if I have seen that a needy man had no clothing;
20 If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He does not warm himself,
if his heart has not blessed me because he has not been warmed with the wool 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 lifted up my hand against fatherless people because I saw my support in the city gate, then bring charges against me!
22 Let my shoulder fall from its blade, And the bone from my arm be broken.
If I have done these things, then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and let my arm be broken from its joint.
23 For calamity [from] God [is] a dread to me, And because of His excellence I am not able.
For I dreaded destruction from God; because of his majesty, I was not able to do those things.
24 If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, My trust;
If I have made gold my hope, and if I have said to fine gold, 'You are what I am confident in';
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, because my hand had gotten many possessions, then bring charges against me!
26 If I see the light when it shines, And the precious moon walking,
If I have seen the sun when it shone, or the moon walking in its brightness,
27 And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand kisses my mouth,
and if my heart has been secretly attracted, so that my mouth has kissed my hand in worship of them—
28 It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.
this also would be a crime to be punished by judges, for I would 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 anyone who hated me or congratulated myself when disaster overtook him, then bring charges against me!
30 Indeed, I have not permitted my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.
Indeed, I have not even allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse.
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 never said, 'Who can find one who has not been filled with Job's food?'
32 A stranger does not lodge in the street, I open my doors to the traveler.
(even the foreigner has never had to stay in the city square, because I have always opened my doors to the traveler), and if that is not so, then bring charges against me!
33 If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, To hide my iniquity in my bosom,
If, like mankind, I have hidden my sins by hiding my guilt inside my tunic
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.
(because I feared the great multitude, because the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silent and would not go outside), then bring charges against me!
35 Who gives to me a hearing? Behold, my mark. The Mighty One answers me, And my adversary has written a bill.
Oh, if only I had someone to hear me! See, here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me! If only I had the indictment that my opponent has written!
36 If not—on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it [as] a crown on myself.
Surely I would carry it openly on my shoulder; I would put it on like a crown.
37 The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.
I would declare to him an accounting for my steps; as a confident prince I would go up to him.
38 If my land cries out against me, And together its furrows weep,
If my land ever cries out against me, and its furrows weep 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 its harvest without paying for it or have caused its owners to lose their lives,
40 Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed!” The words of Job are finished.
then let thorns grow instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are finished.
