Job 31

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

I reached an agreement with my eyes, that I would not so much as think about a virgin.

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

For what portion should God from above hold for me, and what inheritance should the Almighty from on high keep?

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

Is not destruction held for the wicked and repudiation kept for those who work injustice?

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

Does he not examine my ways and number all my steps?

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

If I have walked in vanity, or if my foot has hurried towards deceitfulness,

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

let him weigh me in a just balance, and let God know my simplicity.

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 aside from the way, or if my heart has followed my eyes, or if a blemish has clung to my hands,

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

then may I sow, and let another consume, and let my offspring be eradicated.

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

If my heart has been deceived over a woman, or if I have waited in ambush at my friend’s door,

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

then let my wife be the harlot of another, and let other men lean over her.

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

For this is a crime and a very great injustice.

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

It is a fire devouring all the way to perdition, and it roots out all that springs forth.

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

If I have despised being subject to judgment with my servant or my maid, when they had any complaint against me,

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

then what will I do when God rises to judge, and, when he inquires, how will I respond to him?

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

Is not he who created me in the womb, also he who labored to make him? And did not one and the same form me in the womb?

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

If I have denied the poor what they wanted and have made the eyes of the widow wait;

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

if I have eaten my morsel of food alone, while orphans have not eaten from it;

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

(for from my infancy mercy grew with me, and it came out with me from my mother’s womb; )

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

if I have looked down on him who was perishing because he had no clothing and the poor without any covering,

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

if his sides have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed 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 over an orphan, even when it might seem to me that I have the advantage over him at the gate;

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

then may my shoulder fall from its joint, and may my arm, with all its bones, be broken.

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

For I have always feared God, like waves flowing over me, whose weight I was unable to bear.

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

If I have considered gold to be my strength, or if I have called purified gold ‘my Trust;’

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

if I have rejoiced over my great success, and over the many things my hand has obtained;

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

if I gazed upon the sun when it shined and the moon advancing brightly,

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

so that my heart rejoiced in secret and I kissed my hand with my mouth,

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

which is a very great iniquity and a denial against the most high God;

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

if I have been glad at the ruin of him who hated me and have exulted that evil found him,

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

for I have not been given my throat to sin by asking for a curse on his soul;

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

if the men around my tabernacle have not said: “He might give us some of his food, so that we will be filled,”

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

for the foreigner did not remain at the door, my door was open to the traveler;

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

if, as man does, I have hidden my sin and have concealed my iniquity in my bosom;

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.

if I became frightened by an excessive crowd, and the disrespect of close relatives alarmed me, so that I would much rather have remained silent or have gone out the door;

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

then, would he grant me a hearing, so that the Almighty would listen to my desire, and he who judges would himself write a book,

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

which I would then carry on my shoulder and wrap around me like a crown?

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

With each of my steps, I would pronounce and offer it, as if to a prince.

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

So, if my land cries out against me, and if its furrows weep with it,

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

if I have used its fruits for nothing but money and have afflicted the souls of its tillers,

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

then, may thistles spring forth for me instead of grain, and thorns instead of barley. (This ended the words of Job.)