Job 31

1 Hice un acuerdo con mis ojos; ¿Cómo podrían mis ojos estar mirando a una virgen?

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

2 ¿Cuál es la recompensa de Dios desde lo alto, o la herencia dada por él Todopoderoso desde el cielo?

[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 problema para el pecador, y destrucción para los que hacen el mal?

[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 mis pasos no están todos numerados?

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 ido por caminos falsos, o mi pie se apuró rápido a engaño;

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

6 Déjame ser medido en escalas rectas, y deja que Dios vea mi justicia.

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 han sido apartados, o si me dejado llevar por la codicia, o si la propiedad de otro está en 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 Si siembro mi semilla en la tierra para que otro tenga su fruto, y deja que mi producto sea arrancado de raíz.

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 iba tras la esposa de otro hombre, o si esperaba en acecho 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 Entonces deja que mi esposa dé placer a otro hombre y que otros usen su cuerpo.

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; sería un acto por el cual los jueces medirían el castigo:

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

12 Sería un fuego que arderá hasta la destrucción, y que me quitaría todo lo que tengo.

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 desdeñado el derecho de mi sirviente, o mi sirvienta, cuando contendieron 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 cuando Dios venga como mi juez? ¿Y qué respuesta puedo dar a sus preguntas?

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 ¿No lo hizo Dios tan bien como yo? ¿No nos dio vida en los cuerpos de nuestras madres?

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 retenía el deseo de los pobres; o he hecho 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 Si me guardaba la comida y no le daba un poco al huérfano;

18 Porque desde mi juventud él creció conmigo como un padre, desde mis primeros días; y a la viuda la guié desde mi niñez;

19 Si he visto a alguien cercano a la muerte por necesidad de ropa, y a los pobres sin nada que los cubriera;

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 espalda no me dio una bendición, y la lana de mis ovejas no lo calentó;

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 mi mano había sido levantada contra él justo, cuando vi que los jueces me apoyaban;

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 Que mi brazo sea arrancado de mi cuerpo, y que sea roto desde su base.

[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 el temor de Dios me retuvo, y debido a su poder no podría hacer tales cosas.

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 hice del oro mi esperanza, o si alguna vez dije al mejor oro, he puesto mi fe en ti;

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

25 Si me alegrara porque mi riqueza era grande, y porque mi mano había reunido mucho;

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

26 Si, cuando vi el sol brillando, y la luna moviéndose en su camino brillante,

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

27 Un sentimiento secreto de adoración entró en mi corazón, y mi boca besó mi mano;

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

28 Ese hubiera sido otro pecado para ser recompensado con el castigo de los jueces; porque habría sido falso a Dios 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 Si me alegré en la destrucción de mi aborrecedor, y grité de alegría cuando el mal lo alcanzó;

“[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 Porque no dejé que mi boca cediera al pecado al poner una maldición sobre su vida?

31 Si los hombres de mi tienda dijeran: ¿Quién no ha comido toda su carne, no se saciaría?

[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 viajero no tomó su descanso nocturno en la calle, y mis puertas estaban abiertas para cualquier persona en un viaje;

33 Si mis malas obras cubiertas como Adan, y mi pecado en el secreto de mi pecho,

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

34 Por temor al gran grupo de personas, o por temor a que las familias me despreciarán, para que me quede callado y no salga por 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 ¡Si solo Dios me escuchara, y él Todopoderoso me contestara! ¡O si lo que él tiene contra mí se hubiera puesto por escrito!

“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 En verdad tomaría el libro en mis hombros; sería para 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 Dejaría claro el número de mis pasos, ¡lo pondría ante él como un príncipe! Las palabras de Job se acaban.

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

38 Si mi tierra ha clamado contra mí, o los surcos ha estado triste;

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 tomado su producto sin pago, causando la muerte 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 Luego, en lugar de grano, salen espinas, y en lugar de cebada, plantas malolientes. 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].