Job 31
1 "I made a covenant with my eyes, how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?
A covenant, I solemnised for mine eyes, —How then could I gaze upon a virgin?
2 For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from Shaddai on high?
Or what would have been my portion of GOD from above? Or what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is it not calamity for the unrighteous, and disaster for evildoers?
Is there not calamity, for the perverse? and misfortune, for the workers of iniquity?
4 Doesn't he see my ways, and number all my steps?
Would, he, not see my ways? and of all my steps, take account?
5 "If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit
Verily I walked not in falsity, nor did my foot haste unto deceit: —
6 (let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity);
Let him weigh me in balances of righteousness, —and let GOD take note of mine integrity!
7 if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands,
If my goings have swerved from the way, —and, after mine eyes, hath gone my heart, and, to my hands, hath adhered any stain,
8 then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
Let me sow but, another, eat. And let, what I have springing up, be uprooted!
9 "If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, or, by the door of my neighbour, I have lien in wait,
10 then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.
Let my wife, grind to another, and, over her, let others bend!
11 For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges:
Surely that had been a shameful thing! and that an iniquity for the judges!
12 For it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.
Surely, a fire, had that been, which, unto destruction, would have consumed, and, of all mine increase, had it torn up the root.
13 "If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me;
If I refused the right of my servant, or my handmaid, when they contended with me,
14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When he visits, what shall I answer him?
What then could I have done when GOD rose up? And, when he visited, what could I have answered him?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make him? Did not the same one fashion us in the womb?
Did not he who, in the womb, made me, make him? And is not he who formed us in the body one?
16 "If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
If I withheld—from pleasure—the poor, or, the eyes of the widow, I dimmed;
17 or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it
Or, used to eat my morsel alone, so that the fatherless did not eat thereof;
18 (no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, her have I guided from my mother's womb);
Surely, from my youth, he grew up to me, as to a father, and, from my birth, I acted as guide to her:
19 if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;
If I saw one perishing for lack of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;
20 if his heart hasn't blessed me, if he hasn't been warmed with my sheep's fleece;
If his loins did not bless me, or if, with the fleece of my lambs, he did not warm himself;
21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate,
If I shook—against the fatherless—my hand, when I saw, in the gate, his need of my help,
22 then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.
Let, my shoulder, from the shoulder-blade, fall, and, my arm, from the upper bone, be broken;
23 For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because his majesty, I can do nothing.
For, a dread unto me, was calamity from GOD, and, from his majesty, I could not escape.
24 "If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, 'You are my confidence;'
If I made gold my stay, and, to precious metal, said, My confidence!
25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;
If I rejoiced because great was my substance, and, an abundance, my hand had discovered;
26 if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,
If I looked at the sun, when it flashed forth light, or at the moon, majestically marching along;
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
And befooled secretly was my heart, so that my hand kissed my mouth,
28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges; for I should have denied the God who is above.
That too, had been a judicial iniquity, For I should have been false to GOD, above.
29 "If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him;
If rejoiced in the misfortune of him that hated me, or exulted when calamity found him; —
30 (yes, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);
Neither did I suffer my palate to sin, by asking, with a curse, for his life:
31 if the men of my tent have not said, 'Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?'
If the men of my household have not said, Oh for some of his flesh—we cannot get filled,
32 (the foreigner has not lodged in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);
Outside, the sojourner lodged not for the night, My doors—to the wayfarer, I threw open.
33 if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
If I covered, like Adam, my transgressions, by hiding in my bosom mine iniquity,
34 because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of the door?
Then let me be made to tremble at a great throng, yea let, the contempt of families, terrify me, so that, keeping silence, I shall not go out of the door!
35 oh that I had one to hear me. (look, here is my signature, let Shaddai answer me); let the accuser write my indictment.
Oh that I had one to hear me, Lo! my crossmark, May, the Almighty, answer me! And would that, a book, mine opponent had written!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; and I would bind it to me as a crown.
Oh! would I not, upon my shoulder, lift it, or bind it as a crown upon me;
37 I would declare to him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near to him.
The number of my footsteps, I would declare to him, Like a noble, would I draw near to him.
38 If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together;
If, against me, my ground used to cry out, and, together, my ridges did weep;
39 if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,
If, the strength thereof, I used to eat, without payment, and, the soul of the holders thereof, I made groan;
40 let briars grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.
Instead of wheat, let there come forth bramble, and, instead of barley, a bad-smelling weed! Ended are the words of Job.
