Job 31

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

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

2 Or what would have been my portion of GOD from above? Or what inheritance 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 there not calamity, for the perverse? and misfortune, for the workers of iniquity?

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

4 Would, he, not see my ways? and of all my steps, take account?

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

5 Verily I walked not in falsity, nor did my foot haste unto deceit: —

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

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

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

8 Let me sow but, another, eat. And let, what I have springing up, be uprooted!

Let me sow — and another eat, And my products let 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 hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,

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

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

11 Surely that had been a shameful thing! and that an iniquity for the judges!

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

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

13 If I refused the right of my servant, or my handmaid, 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 could I have done when GOD rose up? And, when he visited, what could I have answered him?

Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do 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?

Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.

16 If I withheld—from pleasure—the poor, or, the eyes of the widow, I dimmed;

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

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

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

(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 saw one perishing for lack 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 did not bless me, or if, with the fleece of my lambs, he did not warm himself;

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

21 If I shook—against the fatherless—my hand, when I saw, in the gate, his need of my help,

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

22 Let, my shoulder, from the shoulder-blade, fall, and, my arm, from the upper bone, be broken;

My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.

23 For, a dread unto me, was calamity from GOD, and, from his majesty, I could not escape.

For a dread unto me [is] calamity [from] God, And because of His excellency I am not able.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

29 If rejoiced in the misfortune of him that hated me, or exulted when calamity found him; —

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

30 Neither did I suffer my palate to sin, by asking, with a curse, for his life:

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

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

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

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

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

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

If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,

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 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! my crossmark, May, the Almighty, answer me! And would that, a book, mine opponent had written!

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

36 Oh! would I not, upon my shoulder, lift it, or bind it as a crown upon me;

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

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

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

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

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

39 If, the strength thereof, I used to eat, without payment, and, the soul of the holders thereof, I made groan;

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

40 Instead of wheat, let there come forth bramble, and, instead of barley, a bad-smelling weed! Ended are the words of Job.

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