Job 31

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

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

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

Or what would have been my portion of GOD from above? Or what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

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

Is there not calamity, for the perverse? and misfortune, for the workers of iniquity?

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

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

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

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

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

Let him weigh me in balances of righteousness, —and let GOD take note of mine 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 goings have swerved from the way, —and, after mine eyes, hath gone my heart, and, to my hands, hath adhered any stain,

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

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

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

If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, or, by the door of my neighbour, I have lien in wait,

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

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

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

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

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

Surely, a fire, had that been, which, unto destruction, would have consumed, and, of all mine increase, had it torn up the root.

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

If I refused the right of my servant, or my handmaid, when they contended with me,

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

What then could I have done when GOD rose up? And, when he visited, what could I have answered him?

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

Did not he who, in the womb, made me, make him? And is not he who formed us in the body one?

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

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

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

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

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

Surely, from my youth, he grew up to me, as to a father, and, from my birth, I acted as guide to her:

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

If I saw one perishing for lack of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;

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

If his loins did not bless me, or if, with the fleece of my lambs, he did not warm himself;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 household have not said, Oh for some of his flesh—we cannot get filled,

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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