Job 31
1 A covenant I made to eyes my and what? will I look carefully on a virgin.
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 And what? - [is] [the] portion of God above and [the] inheritance of [the] Almighty from high places.
[If I did not do what I promised, ] what would God who is in heaven [MTY] do to me [RHQ]? Almighty [God] would certainly not [RHQ] give me any reward!
3 ¿ Not [does] calamity [belong] to an evil-doer and misfortune to [those who] do wickedness.
[Previously I thought that] surely [RHQ] it was unrighteous people who would experience calamities, and that it was those who do what is wrong who would experience disasters.
4 ¿ Not he does he see ways my and all steps my does he count?
God certainly sees [RHQ] everything that I do, [so why is he causing me to suffer?] [It is as though] he counts every step that I take.
5 If I have walked with falsehood and it has made haste to deceit foot my.
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 Let him weigh me in balances of righteousness and let him acknowledge God integrity my.
I request only that God judge me fairly [MET], and if he does that, he will know that I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong).
7 If it turned aside step my from the way and after eyes my it has gone heart my and to hands my it has stuck a blemish.
If [it were true that] I have stopped living righteously, or [that] I [SYN] have desired the things that I look at [MTY], or [that] I am guilty of any other sin,
8 Let me sow and another let him eat and produce my let them be rooted up.
then I hope/wish that when I plant [seeds], someone else will [harvest the crops and] eat [them] and that others will uproot the [fruit trees] that I planted.
9 If it has been deceived heart my on a woman and at [the] doorway of neighbor my I have lain in wait.
“If [it were true that] I [SYN] have been attracted by some other man’s wife, or [that] I have hidden myself and waited outside [the] door [to] her [house],
10 Let her grind for another wife my and over her let them bow down! others.
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 For (that *Q(K)*) [is] wickedness (and that *Q(k)*) [is] iniquity judges.
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 For [is] a fire that [which] to Abaddon it will devour and all produce my it will root up.
My [committing adultery] would [produce in me a fire like] [MET] the fire that burns people in hell, and it would burn up everything that I own. (questioned)
13 If I rejected [the] cause of male servant my and female servant my in complaint their with me.
“And, if [it were true that] I have ever refused to listen to one of my male or female servants when they complained to me about something,
14 And what? will I do if he will arise God and if he will visit what? will I respond to him.
God would arise [and declare that he would punish me]; and when he would do that, what would I do? If he would ask me [about what I have done], (what would I answer?/I would not be able to answer.) [RHQ]
15 ¿ Not in the belly [the one who] made me did he make him and did prepare us? he in the womb one.
God, who created me, certainly also created my servants [RHQ]; surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers’ wombs [RHQ]; [so we all should behave toward each other equally].
16 If I withheld any of [the] desire of poor [people] and [the] eyes of a widow I caused to fail.
“I have guided orphans from the time that they were born; I have taken care of them since they were young. So, if [it were true that] I ate all my food myself and did not share some of it with orphans, or [that] I refused to give poor people the things that they wanted, or [that] I caused widows to live (in despair/without hope [that they would receive any help from anyone]),
17 And I may eat morsel of bread my to alone me and not he ate a fatherless one some of it.
18 For since youth my he grew up with me like a father and from [the] womb of mother my I guided her.
19 If I saw [one who] was perishing because not clothing and not covering [belonged] to the needy [person].
or [that] I had seen people die [from cold] because they had no clothes, or [that] I had seen poor people who did not have clothes [to keep them warm],
20 If not they blessed me (loins his *Q(K)*) and from [the] fleece of lambs my he warmed himself.
and they were not able to become warm [from clothes made] from the wool of my sheep with the result that they thanked me for [giving them clothes, ]
21 If I brandished on a fatherless one hand my for I saw in the gate help my.
or if [it were true that] I threatened to strike any orphan because I knew that the elders at the city gates would (decide in my favor);
22 Shoulder my from its shoulder let it fall and arm my from arm its let it be broken.
[if those things were true about me], I hope/desire that my shoulder blade would be torn out and my arm be torn from my shoulder.
23 For [was] a fear to me calamity of God and from majesty his not I am able.
I always feared that God would cause me to experience a great disaster [if I did any of those evil things], and I would not have been able to endure the powerful [things that he would do to punish me].
24 If I have made gold confidence my and to pure gold I have said security my.
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 If I rejoiced for [was] great wealth my and for much it had found hand my.
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 If I saw a light that it shone and [the] moon splendid [was] going.
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 And it was gullible in secrecy heart my and it kissed hand my mouth my.
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 Also that [is] iniquity calling for judgment for I denied God above.
those things also would be sins for which the judges would say that I must be punished, because I would have been rejecting God [by doing those things].
29 If I rejoiced in [the] disaster of [one who] hated me and I excited myself if it had found him calamity.
“[It is not true that] I [SYN] sinned by requesting God to curse people who hated me with the result that God would cause them to die. It is also not true that I was glad when they were ruined or that I rejoiced when they experienced disasters [DOU].
30 And not I have permitted to sin palate my by asking for by a curse life his.
31 If not they have said [the] men of tent my who? will he give from meat his not [one who] is satisfied.
[It is also not true that] I never welcomed travelers to stay in my tent or that I did not open my doors to them, but [forced them to] sleep in the streets. [All] the men who work for me certainly know that [RHQ]!
32 In the street not he passed [the] night a sojourner doors my to the path I opened.
33 If I have concealed like Adam transgressions my by hiding in bosom my iniquity my.
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 For I feared - a multitude great and [the] contempt of clans it caused to be dismayed me and I was silent not I went outside [the] door.
and I never remained silent and refused to go outside of my home because I was very (afraid of/worried about) what people would say [about me], and that they would hate/scorn me.
35 Who? will he give [will belong] to me - [one who] listens to me here! mark my [the] Almighty let him answer me and a document [which] he had written [the] person of case my.
“I wish/desire that there was someone who would hear what I am saying! I solemnly declare [that all that I have said is true]. I wish that those who oppose me would write down [on a scroll] the evil things that they say that I did.
36 If not on shoulder my I will carry it I will tie on it a crown to myself.
[If they did that, ] I would wear that scroll on my shoulder, or wear it on top of my head, [in order that everyone could see it].
37 [the] number of Steps my I will tell to him like a chief I will approach him.
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 If on me land my it cried out and together furrows its they wept!
If [it were true that] I have stolen land, with the result that [it was as though] its furrows cried out to accuse me of stealing;
39 If produce its I have eaten not money and [the] life of owners its I have caused to breathe out.
or [if it were true that] I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else’s fields without paying [for those crops], with the result that those farmers who grew those crops died [from hunger];
40 In place of wheat - let it come forth thorn[s] and in place of barley foul weed[s] they are finished [the] words of Job.
then I wish/desire that thorns would grow [in my fields] instead of wheat. May bad weeds grow instead of barley!” That is the end of what Job said [to his three friends].
