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