Job 31
1 “I made a covenant for my eyes, And how do I attend to a virgin?
“I made a covenant with my eyes; how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?
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, and the heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?
Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?
4 Does He not see my ways, And number all my steps?
Doesn’t he 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, and 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, that God may 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 out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement 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. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
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 enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait 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 others sleep with her.
11 For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;
For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
12 For it [is] a fire, it consumes to destruction, And takes root among all my increase,
for it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would 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 despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me,
14 Then what do I do when God arises? And when He inspects, What do I answer Him?
what then will I do when God rises up? When he visits, what will I answer him?
15 Did He that made me in the womb not make him? Indeed, One prepares us in the womb.
Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him? Didn’t one fashion us in the womb?
16 If I withhold the poor from pleasure, And consume the eyes of the widow,
“If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have 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,
or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten 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),
(no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, I have guided her 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 perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;
20 If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He does not warm himself,
if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;
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 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 let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm 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 calamity from God is a terror to me. Because of his majesty, I can 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 hope, and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are 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 because my hand had gotten much;
26 If I see the light when it shines, And the precious moon walking,
if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,
27 And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand kisses my mouth,
and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth;
28 It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.
this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the 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 him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him
30 Indeed, I have not permitted my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.
(I have certainly not allowed my mouth to sin by asking 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 not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’
32 A stranger does not lodge in the street, I open my doors to the traveler.
(the foreigner has not camped in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);
33 If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, To hide my iniquity in my bosom,
if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
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, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn’t go out of the door—
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 one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me! Let the accuser write my indictment!
36 If not—on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it [as] a crown on myself.
Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and I would bind it to me as a crown.
37 The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.
I would declare to him the number of my steps. I would go near to him like a prince.
38 If my land cries out against me, And together its furrows weep,
If my land 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 fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,
40 Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed!” The words of Job are finished.
let briers grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.
