Job 31
1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then should I look with desire on a virgin?
A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what — do I attend to a virgin?
2 For what is the portion from God above, the inheritance from the Almighty on high?
And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?
3 I used to think that calamity is for unrighteous people, and that disaster is for doers of wickedness.
Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?
4 Does not God see my ways and count all my steps?
Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?
5 If I have walked with falsehood, if my foot has hurried to deceit,
If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,
6 let me be weighed in an even balance so that God will know my integrity.
He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.
7 If my step has turned aside from the way, if my heart has gone after my eyes, if any spot has stuck to my 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, and let my crops be uprooted.
Let me sow — and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.
9 If my heart has been deceived by a woman, if I have lain in wait at my neighbor'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 grain for another, and let others bow down on her.
Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.
11 For that would be a terrible crime; indeed, it would be a crime to be punished by judges.
For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;
12 For that is a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon, and it would burn all my harvest to the root.
For a fire it [is], to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,
13 If I ignored the plea for justice from my male or female servant when they argued with me,
If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,
14 what then would I do when God rises up to accuse me? When he comes to judge me, how would I answer him?
Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?
15 Did the one who made me in the womb not make them also? Did not the same one mold us all 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 poor people from their desire, or if I have caused the eyes of the widow to grow dim from crying,
If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,
17 or if I have eaten my morsel alone and not allowed those without fathers to eat it also—
And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,
18 because from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father, and I have guided his mother, a widow, from my own 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 anyone perish for lack of clothing, or if I have seen that a needy man had no clothing;
If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,
20 if his heart has not blessed me because he has not been warmed with the wool 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 fatherless people because I saw my support in the city gate, then bring charges against me!
If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in [him] the gate of my court,
22 If I have done these things, then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and let my arm be broken from its joint.
My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.
23 For I dreaded destruction from God; because of his majesty, I was not able to do those things.
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 if I have said to fine gold, 'You are what I am confident in';
If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, 'My trust,'
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, because my hand had gotten many possessions, then bring charges against me!
If I rejoice because great [is] my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,
26 If I have seen the sun when it shone, or the moon walking in its brightness,
If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,
27 and if my heart has been secretly attracted, so that my mouth has kissed my hand in worship of them—
And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,
28 this also would be a crime to be punished by judges, for I would have denied the God who is above.
It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.
29 If I have rejoiced at the destruction of anyone who hated me or congratulated myself when disaster overtook him, then bring charges against me!
If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,
30 Indeed, I have not even allowed my mouth to sin by asking for 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 have never said, 'Who can find one who has not been filled with Job's food?'
If not — say ye, O men of my tent, 'O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'
32 (even the foreigner has never had to stay in the city square, because I have always opened my doors to the traveler), and if that is not so, then bring charges against me!
In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.
33 If, like mankind, I have hidden my sins by hiding my guilt inside my tunic
If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,
34 (because I feared the great multitude, because the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silent and would not go outside), then bring charges against me!
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, if only I had someone to hear me! See, here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me! If only I had the indictment that my opponent has 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 openly on my shoulder; I would put it on like a crown.
If not — on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.
37 I would declare to him an accounting for my steps; as a confident prince I would go up to him.
The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.
38 If my land ever cries out against me, and its furrows weep together,
If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,
39 if I have eaten its harvest without paying for it or have caused its owners to lose their lives,
If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,
40 then let thorns grow instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are finished.
Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.
