Job 31

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

“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?

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

For what is the allotment of God from above, or the heritage from the Almighty on high?

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

Does not disaster come to the unjust and calamity to the workers of iniquity?

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

Does He not see my ways and count my every step?

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

If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has rushed to deceit,

6 He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.

let God weigh me with honest scales, that He may know my integrity.

7 If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,

If my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has followed my eyes, or if impurity has stuck to my hands,

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

then may another eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted.

9 If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,

If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife, or I have lurked at his door,

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

then may my own wife grind grain for another, and may other men sleep with her.

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

For that would be a heinous crime, an iniquity to be judged.

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

For it is a fire that burns down to Abaddon; it would root out my entire harvest.

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

If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me,

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

what will I do when God rises to judge? How will I answer when called to account?

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

Did not He who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?

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

If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,

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

if I have eaten my morsel alone, not sharing it with the fatherless—

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

though from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—

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

if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak,

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

if his heart has not blessed me for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,

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

if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,

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

then may my arm fall from my shoulder and be torn from its socket.

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

For calamity from God terrifies me, and His splendor I cannot overpower.

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

If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security,

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

if I have rejoiced in my great wealth because my hand had gained so much,

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

if I have beheld the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,

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

so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

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

this would also be an iniquity to be judged, for I would have denied God on high.

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

If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin, or exulted when evil befell him—

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

I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse—

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

if the men of my house have not said, ‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—

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

but no stranger had to lodge on the street, for my door has been open to the traveler—

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

if I have covered my transgressions like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart,

34 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.

because I greatly feared the crowds and the contempt of the clans terrified me, so that I kept silent and would not go outside—

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

(Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature. Let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser compose an indictment.

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

Surely I would carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown.

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

I would give account of all my steps; I would approach Him like a prince.)—

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

if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,

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

if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,

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

then let briers grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.” Thus conclude the words of Job.