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; how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?

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

For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from the Almighty on high?

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

Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?

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

Doesn’t 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 falsehood, and my foot has hurried 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 has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck 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. Yes, let the produce of my field 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 has been enticed to a woman, and 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 for another, and let others sleep with her.

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

For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be 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 consumes 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 have despised the cause of my male servant or of my 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 will I do when God rises up? When he visits, what will I answer him?

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

Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him? Didn’t 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 alone, and the fatherless has 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.)

(no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, 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 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 heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;

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 my help in the gate;

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

then let my shoulder fall from the 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 calamity from God is a terror to me. Because of his majesty, I can do nothing.

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

“If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are 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 gotten much;

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

if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendour,

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

and my heart has been 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 also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have denied the God who 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 who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him

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

(I have certainly not allowed my mouth to sin by asking 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 tent have not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’

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

(the foreigner has not camped in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveller);

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

if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity 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 feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn’t 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! Behold, here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me! Let the accuser write my 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 I would bind it to me as a crown.

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. I would go near to 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 eaten its fruits 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 briers grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.