Job 31

1 Hice un pacto con mis ojos. ¿Cómo podría entonces fijar mi mirada en una doncella?

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

2 ¿Cuál sería la recompensa de ʼEloah desde arriba o la herencia de ʼEL-Shadday desde 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 la calamidad para el perverso, y el desastre para los que obran 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 observa Él mis caminos y cuenta 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 anduve con vanidad y mi pie se apresuró al engaño,

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

6 sea yo pesado en balanza justa, y conozca ʼEloah a 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 apartó del camino, mi corazón se fue tras mis ojos o si alguna mancha se pegó 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 siembre yo y coma otro. Sea arrancada mi cosecha.

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 fue seducido por una mujer y aceché a la puerta de mi prójimo,

“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 muela mi esposa para otro y sobre ella se encorven otros.

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

11 Porque eso sería una lujuriosa perversidad y una iniquidad castigada por los jueces,

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

12 un fuego que consume hasta el Abadón, que arrancaría toda mi hacienda.

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 menosprecié el derecho de mi esclavo o de mi esclava, cuando ellos tenían una queja contra mí,

“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 cuando ʼEL me levante? ¿Qué le responderé cuando me llame a cuentas?

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 El que me formó en el vientre, ¿no lo formó también a él? ¿No nos formó el mismo en la matriz?

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 estorbé el anhelo de los pobres o hice desfallecer 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 comí mi bocado a solas y el huérfano no comió de él,

18 aunque desde mi juventud creció conmigo como con un padre y lo guié desde el seno materno,

19 si vi a algún vagabundo sin ropas o algún menesteroso sin algo con lo cual cubrirse,

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 y sus órganos internos no me bendijeron al calentarse con el vellón de mis ovejas,

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 alcé mi mano contra el huérfano cuando me vi apoyado 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 despréndase mi brazo del hombro y descoyúntese mi brazo de su 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 temo el castigo de ʼEL, pues ante su majestad nada puedo hacer.

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 fijé mi confianza en el oro y al metal precioso dije: Tú eres mi esperanza,

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

25 si me complací por mis grandes riquezas y porque mi mano ganó mucho,

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

26 si miré al sol resplandeciente o a la luna que se desplazaba en su esplendor,

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

27 si mi corazón fue seducido en secreto y mi boca les envió un beso con la mano,

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

28 también sería iniquidad digna de castigo, por negar al ʼEL que está en lo alto.

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 ¿Me alegré de la ruina del que me aborrecía o salté de júbilo porque el mal cayó sobre él?

“[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 ¡No! Nunca dejé que mi boca pecara, ni al maldecir al enemigo, ni al hacer una imprecación para que muriera.

31 Decían los esclavos de mi casa: ¿Quién no se sació 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 forastero no pasaba la noche en la calle. Yo abría mis puertas al viajero.

33 Si encubrí mis transgresiones como Adán y oculté la iniquidad en mi seno

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

34 por temor a la muchedumbre, o porque el desprecio de la gente me intimidó y no salí a 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 me escuchara! ¡Ciertamente aquí está mi firma! ¡Que ʼEL-Shadday me responda!

“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 Ciertamente lo llevaría sobre mi hombro y me lo ataría a la cabeza 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 Le rendiría cuenta de todos mis pasos, y como a un príncipe me acercaría ante Él.

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

38 Si mi tierra clama contra mí y lloran sus surcos junto a ella,

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 comí su fruto sin pagar o afligí a sus labradores,

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 crezcan abrojos en lugar de trigo y cizaña en vez de cebada. Aquí terminan las palabras de Job.

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].