Job 31

1 “Hice un pacto con mis ojos; ¿cómo debería entonces mirar con lujuria a una mujer joven?

“I solemnly promised myself that I would not look at a young woman with a desire [to have sex with her].

2 Porque lo que es la porción de Dios en lo alto, y la herencia del Todopoderoso en las alturas?

[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 ¿No es una calamidad para los injustos, y el desastre a los obreros de la iniquidad?

[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 No ve mis caminos, y contar todos mis pasos?

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 he andado con falsedad, y mi pie se ha apresurado a engañar

[“I solemnly declare that] I have never acted wickedly and have never tried to deceive people.

6 (que me pesen en una balanza uniforme, para que Dios conozca mi integridad);

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 mi paso se ha desviado del camino, si mi corazón caminara tras mis ojos, si alguna mancha se ha pegado a mis manos,

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 entonces déjame sembrar, y que otro coma. Sí, que el producto de mi campo sea desarraigado.

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 mi corazón ha sido seducido por una mujer, y he esperado en la puerta de mi vecino,

“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 que muela para otro mi mujer, y otros se encorven sobre ella.

I hope/desire that my wife will become the servant/slave of another man and have sex [EUP] with him.

11 Porque eso sería un crimen atroz. Sí, sería una iniquidad ser castigado por los jueces,

[For me to do] that would be a terrible sin, and the judges would decide that I should be punished.

12 porque es un fuego que consume hasta la destrucción, y que me arrancaría de raíz todo mi aumento.

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 he despreciado la causa de mi siervo o de mi sirvienta, cuando contendían conmigo,

“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 ¿Qué haré entonces cuando Dios se levante? Cuando me visite, ¿qué le responderé?

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 ¿Acaso no lo hizo el que me hizo en el vientre? ¿No se nos formó en el vientre materno?

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 he retenido a los pobres de su deseo, o han hecho fallar los ojos de la viuda,

“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 o haber comido mi bocado solo, y el huérfano no ha comido de ella

18 (no, desde mi juventud creció conmigo como con un padre, La he guiado desde el vientre de mi madre);

19 si he visto a alguno perecer por falta de ropa, o que los necesitados no tenían cobertura;

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 su corazón no me ha bendecido, si no se ha calentado con el vellón de mi oveja;

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 he levantado mi mano contra los huérfanos, porque vi mi ayuda en la puerta;

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 entonces dejé caer mi hombro desde el omóplato, y que mi brazo se rompa desde el hueso.

[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 Porque la calamidad de Dios es un terror para mí. Por su majestad, no puedo hacer nada.

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 he hecho del oro mi esperanza, y han dicho al oro fino: “Tú eres mi confianza”.

“If [it were true that] I trusted in my gold/money [DOU],

25 Si me he alegrado porque mi riqueza era grande, y porque mi mano se había vuelto mucho;

or that I rejoiced because I had acquired many things and had become very rich,

26 si he visto el sol cuando brillaba, o la luna moviéndose con esplendor,

or that I looked at the sun when it was shining or looked at the beautiful moon

27 y mi corazón ha sido seducido en secreto, y mi mano lanzó un beso de mi boca;

and I [SYN] had been tempted [to worship them] by kissing my hand to revere them,

28 esto también sería una iniquidad que sería castigada por los jueces, porque habría negado al Dios que está arriba.

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 me he alegrado de la destrucción del que me odiaba, o me levanté cuando el mal lo encontró

“[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 (Ciertamente no he permitido que mi boca peque pidiendo su vida con una maldición);

31 si los hombres de mi tienda no han dicho, ¿Quién puede encontrar a alguien que no se haya saciado con su carne?

[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 (el extranjero no ha acampado en la calle, pero he abierto mis puertas al viajero);

33 si como Adán he cubierto mis transgresiones, ocultando mi iniquidad en mi corazón,

Some people try to hide their sins, but I have never done that;

34 porque temía a la gran multitud, y el desprecio de las familias me aterrorizó, así que guardé silencio, y no salí de la puerta...

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 ¡ojalá tuviera uno que me escuchara! ¡He aquí mi firma! ¡Que el Todopoderoso me responda! ¡Que el acusador escriba mi acusación!

“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 Seguramente lo llevaría al hombro, y lo ataría a mí como una corona.

[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 Yo le declararía el número de mis pasos. Me acercaría a él como un príncipe.

I would tell [God] everything that I have done, and I would approach him [confidently], like a ruler would.

38 Si mi tierra grita contra mí, y sus surcos lloran juntos;

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 he comido sus frutos sin dinero, o han hecho que sus propietarios pierdan la vida,

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 deja que los cardoscrezcan en lugar del trigo, y stinkweed en lugar de cebada”. Las palabras de Job han terminado.

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].