Job 31

1 HICE pacto con mis ojos: ¿cómo pues había yo de pensar en virgen?

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

2 Porque ¿qué galardón [me daría] de arriba Dios, y qué heredad el Omnipotente de 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 hay quebrantamiento para el impío, y extrañamiento 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 ve 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 mentira, y si mi pie se apresuró á engaño,

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

6 Péseme Dios en balanzas de justicia, y conocerá 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 mis pasos se apartaron del camino, y si mi corazón se fué tras mis ojos, y si algo se apegó á 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 otro coma, y mis verduras sean arrancadas.

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 fué mi corazón engañado acerca de mujer, y si estuve acechando á 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 para otro mi mujer, y sobre ella otros se encorven.

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

11 Porque es maldad é iniquidad, que han de castigar 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 fuego que devoraría hasta el sepulcro, y desarraigaría 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 hubiera tenido en poco el derecho de mi siervo y de mi sierva, cuando ellos pleitearan 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 haría yo cuando Dios se levantase? y cuando él visitara, ¿qué le respondería yo?

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 en el vientre me hizo á mí, ¿no lo hizo á él? ¿y no nos dispuso uno 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 contento de los pobres, é 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 Y si comí mi bocado solo, y no comió de él el huérfano;

18 (Porque desde mi mocedad creció conmigo como con padre, y desde el vientre de mi madre fuí guía de la viuda; )

19 Si he visto que pereciera alguno sin vestido, y al menesteroso sin 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 no me bendijeron sus lomos, y del vellón de mis ovejas se calentaron;

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 contra el huérfano mi mano, aunque viese que me ayudarían 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 Mi espalda se caiga de mi hombro, y mi brazo sea quebrado de mi canilla.

[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 temí el castigo de Dios, contra cuya alteza yo no tendría poder.

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 puse en oro mi esperanza, y dije al oro: Mi confianza [eres] tú;

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

25 Si me alegré de que mi hacienda se multiplicase, y de que mi mano hallase mucho;

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

26 Si he mirado al sol cuando resplandecía, y á la luna cuando iba hermosa,

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

27 Y mi corazón se engañó en secreto, y mi boca besó mi mano:

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

28 Esto también fuera maldad juzgada; porque habría negado al Dios soberano.

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 alegré en el quebrantamiento del que me aborrecía, y me regocijé cuando le halló el mal;

“[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 (Que ni aun entregué al pecado mi paladar, pidiendo maldición para su alma; )

31 Cuando mis domésticos decían: ¡Quién nos diese de su carne! nunca nos hartaríamos.

[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 tenía fuera la noche; mis puertas abría al caminante.

33 Si encubrí, como los hombres mis prevaricaciones, escondiendo en mi seno mi iniquidad;

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

34 Porque quebrantaba á la gran multitud, y el menosprecio de las familias me atemorizó, y callé, y no salí de mi 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 ¡Quién me diera quien me oyese! He aquí mi impresión [es] que el Omnipotente testificaría por mí, aunque mi adversario me hiciera el proceso.

“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 yo lo llevaría sobre mi hombro, y me lo ataría en lugar de 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 contaría el número de mis pasos, y como príncipe me llegaría á 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 todos sus surcos;

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 sustancia sin dinero, ó afligí el alma de sus dueños;

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 En lugar de trigo me nazcan abrojos, y espinas en lugar de cebada. Acábanse 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].