Job 31
Christian Standard Bible
31 I have made a covenant with my eyes.(A)
How then could I look at a young woman?[a](B)
2 For what portion(C) would I have from God above,
or what inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Doesn’t disaster come to the unjust
and misfortune to evildoers?
4 Does he not see my ways
and number all my steps?(D)
5 If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has rushed to deceit,
6 let God weigh me on accurate scales,(E)
and he will recognize my integrity.(F)
7 If my step has turned from the way,
my heart has followed my eyes,
or impurity has stained my hands,(G)
8 let someone else eat what I have sown,
and let my crops be uprooted.(H)
9 If my heart has gone astray over a woman
or I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 let my own wife grind grain for another man,
and let other men sleep with[b] her.
11 For that would be a disgrace;
it would be an iniquity deserving punishment.(I)
12 For it is a fire that consumes down to Abaddon;
it would destroy my entire harvest.(J)
13 If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants
when they made a complaint against me,
14 what could I do when God stands up to judge?
How should I answer him when he calls me to account?
15 Did not the one who made me in the womb also make them?
Did not the same God form us both in the womb?(K)
16 If I have refused the wishes of the poor
or let the widow’s(L) eyes go blind,
17 if I have eaten my few crumbs alone
without letting the fatherless eat any of it—
18 for from my youth, I raised him as his father,
and since the day I was born[c] I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing
or a needy person without a cloak,(M)
20 if he[d] did not bless me
while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep,
21 if I ever cast my vote[e] against a fatherless child
when I saw that I had support in the city gate,(N)
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my back,
and my arm be pulled from its socket.
23 For disaster from God terrifies me,
and because of his majesty I could not do these things.(O)
24 If I placed my confidence in gold
or called fine gold my trust,(P)
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth is great
or because my own hand has acquired so much,
26 if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining
or at the moon moving in splendor,(Q)
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and I threw them a kiss,[f]
28 this would also be an iniquity deserving punishment,
for I would have denied God above.
29 Have I rejoiced over my enemy’s distress,
or become excited when trouble came his way?
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by asking for his life with a curse.
31 Haven’t the members of my household said,
“Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job’s table?”
32 No stranger had to spend the night on the street,
for I opened my door to the traveler.
33 Have I covered my transgressions(R) as others do[g]
by hiding my iniquity in my heart(S)
34 because I greatly feared the crowds
and because the contempt of the clans terrified me,
so I grew silent and would not go outside?
35 If only I had someone to hear my case!(T)
Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me.
Let my Opponent compose his indictment.
36 I would surely carry it on my shoulder
and wear it like a crown.(U)
37 I would give him an account of all my steps;
I would approach him like a prince.
38 If my land cries out against me
and its furrows join in weeping,
39 if I have consumed its produce without payment
or shown contempt for its tenants,[h]
40 then let thorns(V) grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed(W) instead of barley.
The words of Job are concluded.
Job 31
Easy-to-Read Version
31 “I made an agreement with my eyes
not to look at a young woman in a way that would make me want her.
2 What does God above have for us?
How does God All-Powerful repay people from his home high in heaven?[a]
3 He sends trouble to the wicked
and disaster to those who do wrong.
4 God is the one who knows what I do
and sees every step I take.
5 “I have not lied to anyone.
I never tried to cheat people.
6 If God would use accurate scales,[b]
he would know that I am innocent.
7 If I ever stepped off the right path,
if my eyes led my heart to do evil,
or if my hands are dirty with sin,
8 then let others eat what I planted.
Let my crops be pulled up by the roots.
9 “If I have desired another woman
or waited at my neighbor’s door to sin with his wife,
10 then let my wife serve someone else,
and let other men sleep with her.
11 To do such a thing would be shameful,
a sin that must be punished.
12 Such sin is like a fire that burns until it destroys everything.
It would completely ruin my life’s work.
13 “If I refused to be fair to my slaves
when they had a complaint against me,
14 then what will I do when I must face God?
What will I say when he asks me to explain what I did?
15 The one who made me in my mother’s womb also made them.
God shaped us all inside our mothers.
16 “I have never refused to help the poor.
I always gave widows what they needed.
17 I have never been selfish with my food.
I shared what I had with orphans.
18 All my life I have been like a father to orphans
and have taken care of widows.
19 Whenever I found people suffering because they didn’t have clothes
or saw a poor man with no coat,
20 I always gave them something to wear.
I used the wool from my own sheep to make them warm.
And they thanked me with all their heart.
21 I never threatened an orphan,
even when I knew I had support in court.[c]
22 If I ever did that, may my arm be pulled from its socket
and fall from my shoulder!
23 But I didn’t do any of these bad things.
I fear God’s punishment too much.
His majesty scares me.[d]
24 “I have never trusted in riches.
I never said even to pure gold, ‘You are my hope.’
25 I have been wealthy,
but that didn’t make me proud.
I earned a lot of money,
but that is not what made me happy.
26 I have never worshiped the bright sun
or the beautiful moon.
27 I was never foolish enough
to worship the sun and the moon.
28 This is also a sin that must be punished.
If I had worshiped them, I would have been unfaithful to God All-Powerful.
29 “I have never been happy
when my enemies were destroyed.
I have never laughed at my enemies
when bad things happened to them.
30 I have never let my mouth sin by cursing my enemies
and wishing for them to die.
31 The people in my house know that
I have never let anyone go hungry.
32 I always invited strangers into my home
so that they would not have to sleep in the streets.
33 I have not tried to hide my sins as some people do.
I have never hidden my guilt.
34 I was never so afraid of what people might say or of making enemies
that I kept my sins secret and avoided going out.
35 “How I wish someone would listen to me!
I will sign my name to all I have said.
Now let God All-Powerful answer me.
Let him make a list of what he thinks I did wrong.
36 I would wear it around my neck.
I would put it on my head like a crown.
37 Then I could explain everything I have done.
I could come to God with my head held high like a prince.
38 “I did not use my land in a wrong way.
I never caused it to suffer.
39 I always paid the workers for the food I got from the land.
I never let any of them starve.
40 If I ever did any of these bad things,
let thorns and weeds grow in my fields instead of wheat and barley!”
Job’s words are finished.
Footnotes
- Job 31:2 Or possibly, “I made an agreement with my eyes not to look with desire at the Virgin or the sacred things that belong to God All-Powerful.” Here, “the Virgin” refers to a goddess worshiped by the Canaanites.
- Job 31:6 accurate scales Literally, “scales of righteousness.” As a wordplay, this could mean either “accurate scales” or “scales that show a person is good.”
- Job 31:21 Or “I never shook my fist at an orphan who was at the gate asking for help.”
- Job 31:23 His majesty … me Or “I could not stand before his majesty.”
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Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International