Job 31

1 I MADE a covenant with mine eyes; how then should I look upon a maid?

A covenant, I solemnised for mine eyes, —How then could I gaze upon a virgin?

2 For what [is] the portion of God from above, and the heritage of the Almighty from 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 to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?

Is there not calamity, for the perverse? and misfortune, for the workers of iniquity?

4 Doth not 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 vanity, and my foot hath hasted 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 mine integrity; )

Let him weigh me in balances of righteousness, —and let GOD take note of mine integrity!

7 If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any spot hath cleaved to mine 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; yea, 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 mine heart have been enticed unto a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbour’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 unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

Let my wife, grind to another, and, over her, let others bend!

11 For that were an heinous crime; yea, it were 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 consumeth unto Destruction, and would root out all mine 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 did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, 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 riseth up? and when he visiteth, 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 that made me in the womb make him? and did not 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 hath not eaten thereof;

Or, used to eat my morsel alone, so that the fatherless did not eat thereof;

18 (Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, and I have been her guide 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 loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

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 mine 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 was a terror to me, and by reason of his excellency I could 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, [Thou art] my confidence;

If I made gold my stay, and, to precious metal, said, My confidence!

25 If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;

If I rejoiced because great was my substance, and, an abundance, my hand had discovered;

26 If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

If I looked at the sun, when it flashed forth light, or at the moon, majestically marching along;

27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, and my mouth hath kissed my hand:

And befooled secretly was my heart, so that my hand kissed my mouth,

28 This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges: for I should have lied to God that is above.

That too, had been a judicial iniquity, For I should have been false to GOD, above.

29 If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that 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 (Yea, I suffered not 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 said not, Who can find one that hath not been satisfied with his flesh?

If the men of my household have not said, Oh for some of his flesh—we cannot get filled,

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

Outside, the sojourner lodged not for the night, My doors—to the wayfarer, I threw open.

33 If like Adam I covered my transgressions, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom;

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 went not 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! (lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me; ) and [that I had] the indictment which mine adversary hath written!

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 upon my shoulder; I would bind it unto 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 unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.

The number of my footsteps, I would declare to him, Like a noble, would I draw near to him.

38 If my land cry out against me, and the furrows thereof weep together;

If, against me, my ground used to cry out, and, together, my ridges did weep;

39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof 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 thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle 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.