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Job Asserts His Moral Innocence

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes;
    how, then, can I focus my attention on a virgin?
What would I have[a] from God above,
    what heritage from the Almighty on high,
if not calamity that is due the unjust,
    and misfortune that is due those who practice iniquity?
He watches my life,
    observing every one of my actions,[b] does he not?”

No Lies and Deception

“If I’ve lived my life in the company of vanity,
    or run quickly to embrace deception,
let my righteousness be weighed in honest scales,
    and God will make known my integrity.
If I have stepped away from the way,
    or if my heart covets whatever my eyes see,
        or if some other blemish clings to my hands,
what I’ve planted, let another eat
    or let my crops be uprooted.”

No Adultery

“If my heart has been seduced by a woman
    and I’ve laid in wait at my friend’s door,
10 then let my wife cook[c] for another person
    and may someone else sleep with her,
11 because something as lascivious as that
    is an iniquity that should be judged.
12 The fires of Abaddon[d] will burn,[e]
    disrupting every part of my eternal reward.”[f]

No Abuse of Servants

13 “If I’ve refused to help my male and female servants
    when they complain against me,
14 what will I do when God stands up to act?
    When he asks the questions, how will I answer him?
15 The one who made me in the womb made them,[g] too, didn’t he?
    Didn’t the same one prepare each of us in the womb?”

No Injustice on the Poor

16 “If I refused to grant the desire of the poor
    or exhausted the eyes of the widow,
17 if I ate my meals by myself
    without feeding orphans,
18 (even a poor man had grown up with me as if I were his father,
    and even though I had guided the widow[h]
        from the time I was born),
19 if I’ve observed someone who is about to die for lack of clothes
    or if I have no clothing to give to the poor,
20 if he hadn’t thanked me from the bottom of his heart,[i]
    if he had not been warmed by wool from my sheep,
21 if I’ve raised my hand against an orphan
    when I thought I would against him in court,[j]
22 then let my arm[k] fall from its socket;
    and may my arm be torn off at the shoulder.
23 For I’m terrified of what calamity God may have in store for me;
    and I cannot endure his grandeur.”

No Trust in Wealth and Heavenly Bodies

24 “If I’ve put my confidence in gold,
    if I’ve told gold, ‘You’re my security,’
25 if I’ve found joy in great wealth that I own,
    if I’ve earned a lot with my own hands,
26 if I look at the sun[l] when it shines
    or the moon as it rises in steady splendor,
27 so that in the depths of my deceived heart
    I worshipped them with my mouth and hands,
28 this is also a sin that deserves to be judged,
    since I would have tried to deceive[m] God above.”

No Rejoicing over the Plight of Adversary

29 “Have I rejoiced in the destruction of those who hate me,
    or have I been happy that evil caught up with him?
30 No, I haven’t allowed my mouth to sin
    by asking for his life[n] with a curse.
31 People in my household have said,
    ‘We cannot find anyone who has not been satisfied with his meat,’ haven’t they?
32 No stranger ever spent the night in the street,
    because I opened my doors to travelers.”

No Secret Sins

33 “Have I covered my transgression like other people,
    to conceal iniquity within myself?[o]
34 Have I feared large crowds?
    Has my family’s contempt ever terrified me
        so that I remained silent and wouldn’t go outside?”

Request for A Hearing

35 “Who will grant me a hearing?
    Here’s my signature[p]—let the Almighty answer!
Since my adversary indicted me,
36 I’ll wear it on my shoulder,
        or tie it on my head for a crown!
37 I’ll give an account for every step I’ve taken;
    I’ll approach him confidently like a Commander-in-Chief.”[q]

No Abuse of the Land

38 “If my land were to cry out against me
    or if all its furrows wept as one,
39 If I’ve consumed its produce[r] without paying for it
    and snuffed out the life of its owners;
40 may thorns spring up instead of wheat,
    and obnoxious weeds instead of barley.”

With this, Job’s discourse with his friends[s] is completed.

Footnotes

  1. Job 31:2 The Heb. lacks would one have
  2. Job 31:4 Lit. steps
  3. Job 31:10 Lit. grind
  4. Job 31:12 Or Destruction; i.e. the realm of eternal punishment in the afterlife
  5. Job 31:12 Lit. consume
  6. Job 31:12 Lit. my harvest
  7. Job 31:15 Lit. him
  8. Job 31:18 Lit. her
  9. Job 31:20 Lit. hadn’t blessed me from his loins
  10. Job 31:21 Lit. when I saw help for me at the gate
  11. Job 31:22 Lit. side
  12. Job 31:26 Lit. light
  13. Job 31:28 Or have denied
  14. Job 31:30 Lit. soul
  15. Job 31:33 Or bosom
  16. Job 31:35 Lit. seal
  17. Job 31:37 Lit. Nagid; i.e. a senior officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and administrative authority
  18. Job 31:39 Lit. strength
  19. Job 31:40 The Heb. lacks with his friends