< Job 31 >

1 pepigi foedus cum oculis meis ut ne cogitarem quidem de virgine
“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].
2 quam enim partem haberet Deus in me desuper et hereditatem Omnipotens de excelsis
[If I did not do what I promised, ] what would God who is in heaven [MTY] do to me [RHQ]? Almighty [God] would certainly not [RHQ] give me any reward!
3 numquid non perditio est iniquo et alienatio operantibus iniustitiam
[Previously I thought that] surely [RHQ] it was unrighteous people who would experience calamities, and that it was those who do what is wrong who would experience disasters.
4 nonne ipse considerat vias meas et cunctos gressus meos dinumerat
God certainly sees [RHQ] everything that I do, [so why is he causing me to suffer?] [It is as though] he counts every step that I take.
5 si ambulavi in vanitate et festinavit in dolo pes meus
[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.
6 adpendat me in statera iusta et sciat Deus simplicitatem meam
I request only that God judge me fairly [MET], and if he does that, he will know that I (am innocent/have not done what is wrong).
7 si declinavit gressus meus de via et si secutum est oculos meos cor meum et in manibus meis adhesit macula
If [it were true that] I have stopped living righteously, or [that] I [SYN] have desired the things that I look at [MTY], or [that] I am guilty of any other sin,
8 seram et alius comedat et progenies mea eradicetur
then I hope/wish that when I plant [seeds], someone else will [harvest the crops and] eat [them] and that others will uproot the [fruit trees] that I planted.
9 si deceptum est cor meum super mulierem et si ad ostium amici mei insidiatus sum
“If [it were true that] I [SYN] have been attracted by some other man’s wife, or [that] I have hidden myself and waited outside [the] door [to] her [house],
10 scortum sit alteri uxor mea et super illam incurventur alii
I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.
11 hoc enim nefas est et iniquitas maxima
[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.
12 ignis est usque ad perditionem devorans et omnia eradicans genimina
My [committing adultery] would [produce in me a fire like] [MET] the fire that burns people in hell, and it would burn up everything that I own. (questioned)
13 si contempsi subire iudicium cum servo meo et ancillae meae cum disceptarent adversum me
“And, if [it were true that] I have ever refused to listen to one of my male or female servants when they complained to me about something,
14 quid enim faciam cum surrexerit ad iudicandum Deus et cum quaesierit quid respondebo illi
God would arise [and declare that he would punish me]; and when he would do that, what would I do? If he would ask me [about what I have done], (what would I answer?/I would not be able to answer.) [RHQ]
15 numquid non in utero fecit me qui et illum operatus est et formavit in vulva unus
God, who created me, certainly also created my servants [RHQ]; surely he is the one who formed them and me in our mothers’ wombs [RHQ]; [so we all should behave toward each other equally].
16 si negavi quod volebant pauperibus et oculos viduae expectare feci
“I have guided orphans from the time that they were born; I have taken care of them since they were young. So, if [it were true that] I ate all my food myself and did not share some of it with orphans, or [that] I refused to give poor people the things that they wanted, or [that] I caused widows to live (in despair/without hope [that they would receive any help from anyone]),
17 si comedi buccellam meam solus et non comedit pupillus ex ea
18 quia ab infantia mea crevit mecum miseratio et de utero matris meae egressa est mecum
19 si despexi pereuntem eo quod non habuerit indumentum et absque operimento pauperem
or [that] I had seen people die [from cold] because they had no clothes, or [that] I had seen poor people who did not have clothes [to keep them warm],
20 si non benedixerunt mihi latera eius et de velleribus ovium mearum calefactus est
and they were not able to become warm [from clothes made] from the wool of my sheep with the result that they thanked me for [giving them clothes, ]
21 si levavi super pupillum manum meam etiam cum viderem me in porta superiorem
or if [it were true that] I threatened to strike any orphan because I knew that the elders at the city gates would (decide in my favor);
22 umerus meus a iunctura sua cadat et brachium meum cum suis ossibus confringatur
[if those things were true about me], I hope/desire that my shoulder blade would be torn out and my arm be torn from my shoulder.
23 semper enim quasi tumentes super me fluctus timui Deum et pondus eius ferre non potui
I always feared that God would cause me to experience a great disaster [if I did any of those evil things], and I would not have been able to endure the powerful [things that he would do to punish me].
24 si putavi aurum robur meum et obrizae dixi fiducia mea
“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],
25 si laetatus sum super multis divitiis meis et quia plurima repperit manus mea
or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,
26 si vidi solem cum fulgeret et lunam incedentem clare
or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon
27 et lactatum est in abscondito cor meum et osculatus sum manum meam ore meo
and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,
28 quae est iniquitas maxima et negatio contra Deum altissimum
those things also would be sins for which the judges would say that I must be punished, because I would have been rejecting God [by doing those things].
29 si gavisus sum ad ruinam eius qui me oderat et exultavi quod invenisset eum malum
“[It is not true that] I [SYN] sinned by requesting God to curse people who hated me with the result that God would cause them to die. It is also not true that I was glad when they were ruined or that I rejoiced when they experienced disasters [DOU].
30 non enim dedi ad peccandum guttur meum ut expeterem maledicens animam eius
31 si non dixerunt viri tabernaculi mei quis det de carnibus eius ut saturemur
[It is also not true that] I never welcomed travelers to stay in my tent or that I did not open my doors to them, but [forced them to] sleep in the streets. [All] the men who work for me certainly know that [RHQ]!
32 foris non mansit peregrinus ostium meum viatori patuit
33 si abscondi quasi homo peccatum meum et celavi in sinu meo iniquitatem meam
Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;
34 si expavi ad multitudinem nimiam et despectio propinquorum terruit me et non magis tacui nec egressus sum ostium
and I never remained silent and refused to go outside of my home because I was very (afraid of/worried about) what people would say [about me], and that they would hate/scorn me.
35 quis mihi tribuat auditorem ut desiderium meum Omnipotens audiat et librum scribat ipse qui iudicat
“I wish/desire that there was someone who would hear what I am saying! I solemnly declare [that all that I have said is true]. I wish that those who oppose me would write down [on a scroll] the evil things that they say that I did.
36 ut in umero meo portem illum et circumdem illum quasi coronam mihi
[If they did that, ] I would wear that scroll on my shoulder, or wear it on top of my head, [in order that everyone could see it].
37 per singulos gradus meos pronuntiabo illum et quasi principi offeram eum
I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.
38 si adversum me terra mea clamat et cum ipsa sulci eius deflent
If [it were true that] I have stolen land, with the result that [it was as though] its furrows cried out to accuse me of stealing;
39 si fructus eius comedi absque pecunia et animam agricolarum eius adflixi
or [if it were true that] I have eaten the crops that grew in someone else’s fields without paying [for those crops], with the result that those farmers who grew those crops died [from hunger];
40 pro frumento oriatur mihi tribulus et pro hordeo spina finita sunt verba Iob
then I wish/desire that thorns would grow [in my fields] instead of wheat. May bad weeds grow instead of barley!” That is the end of what Job said [to his three friends].

< Job 31 >