Job 31

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

I made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

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

For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

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

Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?

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

Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?

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

If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;

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

Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God 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 step hath turned out of the way, and my heart walked after my eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to my hands;

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

Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.

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

If my heart hath been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;

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

Then let my wife grind to another, and let others bow down upon her.

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

For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

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

For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all my increase.

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

If I despised the cause of my male or female servant, 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 shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

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

Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?

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

If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

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

Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten of 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 youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb; )

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

If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;

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

If his loins have not blessed me, and if he hath not been 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 against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:

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

Then let my arm fall from my shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.

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

For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.

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

If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

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

If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gained much;

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

If I have beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

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

And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:

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

This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

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

If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or have lifted up myself when evil found him:

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

Neither have I allowed my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to 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 of my tent have not said, O that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.

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

The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.

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

If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding 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.

Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not 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.

O that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that my adversary had written a book.

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

Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.

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

I would declare to him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near to him.

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

If my land crieth against me, or its furrows likewise complain;

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

If I have eaten the fruits of it without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life:

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

Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.