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31 “I made a covenant with my eyes,
    how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?
For what is the portion from God above,
    and the heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not calamity to the unrighteous,
    and disaster to the workers of iniquity?
Doesn’t he see my ways,
    and count all my steps?

“If I have walked with falsehood,
    and my foot has hurried to deceit
(let me be weighed in an even balance,
    that God may know my integrity);
if my step has turned out of the way,
    if my heart walked after my eyes,
    if any defilement has stuck to my hands,
then let me sow, and let another eat.
    Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

“If my heart has been enticed to a woman,
    and I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife grind for another,
    and let others sleep with her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime.
    Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
12 for it is a fire that consumes to destruction,
    and would root out all my increase.
13 “If I have despised the cause of my male servant
    or of my female servant,
    when they contended with me,
14 what then will I do when God rises up?
    When he visits, what will I answer him?
15 Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him?
    Didn’t one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have withheld the poor from their desire,
    or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
    and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
    I have guided her from my mother’s womb);
19 if I have seen any perish for want of clothing,
    or that the needy had no covering;
20 if his heart hasn’t blessed me,
    if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;
21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless,
    because I saw my help in the gate,
22 then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade,
    and my arm be broken from the bone.
23 For calamity from God is a terror to me.
    Because of his majesty, I can do nothing.
24 “If I have made gold my hope,
    and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are my confidence;’
25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,
    and because my hand had gotten much;
26 if I have seen the sun when it shined,
    or the moon moving in splendor,
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed,
    and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
    for I should have denied the God who is above.
29 “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,
    or lifted up myself when evil found him
30 (yes, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
    by asking his life with a curse);
31 if the men of my tent have not said,
    ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’
32 (the foreigner has not camped in the street,
    but I have opened my doors to the traveler);
33 if like Adam I have covered my transgressions,
    by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34 because I feared the great multitude,
    and the contempt of families terrified me,
    so that I kept silence, and didn’t go out of the door—
35 oh that I had one to hear me!
    Behold, here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!
    Let the accuser write my indictment!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
    and I would bind it to me as a crown.
37 I would declare to him the number of my steps.
    I would go near to him like a prince.
38 If my land cries out against me,
    and its furrows weep together;
39 if I have eaten its fruits without money,
    or have caused its owners to lose their life,
40 let briers grow instead of wheat,
    and stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(A)
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.(B)
For what is our lot(C) from God above,
    our heritage from the Almighty on high?(D)
Is it not ruin(E) for the wicked,
    disaster(F) for those who do wrong?(G)
Does he not see my ways(H)
    and count my every step?(I)

“If I have walked with falsehood
    or my foot has hurried after deceit(J)
let God weigh me(K) in honest scales(L)
    and he will know that I am blameless(M)
if my steps have turned from the path,(N)
    if my heart has been led by my eyes,
    or if my hands(O) have been defiled,(P)
then may others eat what I have sown,(Q)
    and may my crops be uprooted.(R)

“If my heart has been enticed(S) by a woman,(T)
    or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(U) another man’s grain,
    and may other men sleep with her.(V)
11 For that would have been wicked,(W)
    a sin to be judged.(X)
12 It is a fire(Y) that burns to Destruction[a];(Z)
    it would have uprooted my harvest.(AA)

13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(AB)
    whether male or female,
    when they had a grievance against me,(AC)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(AD)
    What will I answer when called to account?(AE)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(AF)
    Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(AG)

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(AH)
    or let the eyes of the widow(AI) grow weary,(AJ)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless(AK)
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow(AL)
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(AM)
    or the needy(AN) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(AO)
    for warming them with the fleece(AP) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(AQ)
    knowing that I had influence in court,(AR)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
    let it be broken off at the joint.(AS)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(AT)
    and for fear of his splendor(AU) I could not do such things.(AV)

24 “If I have put my trust in gold(AW)
    or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(AX)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(AY)
    the fortune my hands had gained,(AZ)
26 if I have regarded the sun(BA) in its radiance
    or the moon(BB) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(BC)
    and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(BD)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(BE)
    for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(BF)

29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(BG)
    or gloated over the trouble that came to him(BH)
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
    by invoking a curse against their life(BI)
31 if those of my household have never said,
    ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(BJ)
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
    for my door was always open to the traveler(BK)
33 if I have concealed(BL) my sin as people do,[b]
    by hiding(BM) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(BN)
    and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
    that I kept silent(BO) and would not go outside—

35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(BP)
    I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
    let my accuser(BQ) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(BR)
    I would put it on like a crown.(BS)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(BT)
    I would present it to him as to a ruler.(BU))—

38 “if my land cries out against me(BV)
    and all its furrows are wet(BW) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(BX)
    or broken the spirit of its tenants,(BY)
40 then let briers(BZ) come up instead of wheat
    and stinkweed(CA) instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.(CB)

Footnotes

  1. Job 31:12 Hebrew Abaddon
  2. Job 31:33 Or as Adam did