Job 31

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

A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what — do I attend to a virgin?

2 For what [is] the portion of God from above, and the heritage of the Almighty from on high?

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

3 Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?

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

4 Doth not he see my ways, and number all my steps?

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

5 If I have walked with vanity, and my foot hath hasted to deceit;

If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,

6 (Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity; )

He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my 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 step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,

8 Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

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

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 by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,

10 Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.

11 For that were an heinous crime; yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges:

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

12 For it is a fire that consumeth unto Destruction, and would root out all mine increase.

For a fire it [is], to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,

13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me:

If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,

14 What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer 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 that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.

16 If I have withheld the poor from [their] desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

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

17 Or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;

And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,

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; )

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

19 If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;

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

20 If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

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

21 If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate:

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

22 Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.

My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the 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 [is] calamity [from] God, And because of His excellency I am not able.

24 If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, [Thou art] my confidence;

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

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

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

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

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

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

And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,

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

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

29 If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him;

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

30 (Yea, I suffered not my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse; )

Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.

31 If the men of my tent said not, Who can find one that hath not been satisfied with his flesh?

If not — say ye, O men of my tent, 'O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'

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

In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.

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

If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide 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—

Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.

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!

Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.

36 Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder; I would bind it unto me as a crown.

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

37 I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.

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

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

If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,

39 If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

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

40 Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

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