Job 31
Lexham English Bible
Job’s Final Defense Continued
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes,
so[a] how could I look closely upon a virgin?
2 And what is the portion of God from above
or[b] the heritage of Shaddai from on high?
3 Is not disaster for the evil one
and ruin for the workers of mischief?
4 Does he not see my ways
and count all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falseness,
and my foot has hastened to deceit,
6 let him weigh me in the balance of justice,
and let God know my blamelessness.
7 If my steps have turned aside from the way,
and my heart has walked after my eyes,
and my hand has clung to a spot,
8 let me sow, and let another eat,
and let my crops be rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
and at my neighbor’s doorway I have lain in wait,
10 let my wife grind for another,
and let other men kneel over her,
11 for that is a shameful act,
and that is a criminal offense.[c]
12 Indeed, that is a fire that will consume up to Abaddon,
and it would uproot all my crop.
13 “If I have rejected my male or[d] female slave’s case
when their complaint was against me,
14 then[e] what shall I do when God rises up?
And when he enquires, how shall I answer him?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have withheld the desire of the poor from them,
or[f] I have caused the widow’s eyes to fail,
17 or I have eaten my morsel alone,[g]
and the orphan has not eaten from it
18 (for from my childhood he[h] grew up with[i] me like a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided her[j]),
19 if I have seen the one who perishes because of no clothing
or[k] that there is no covering for the poor,
20 if his loins have not blessed me,
or[l] by means of my sheep’s fleece he has warmed himself,
21 if I have raised my hand against an orphan
because I saw my supporters at the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 Indeed, the disaster from God was a dread for me,
and I was powerless[m] because of his majesty.
24 “If I have made gold my trust,
or[n] I have called fine gold my security,
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great
or[o] because my hand found a fortune,
26 if I looked at the sun when it shone
or[p] at the moon moving in splendor,
27 and I was secretly enticed,[q]
and my hand threw them a kiss,[r]
28 this also is an iniquity to be judged,
for I have deceived God above.
29 “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of the one who hated me
or[s] have exulted when evil overtook him—
30 no,[t] I have not allowed my mouth to sin,
to ask his life with a curse.
31 Have the people of my tent not said,[u]
‘O that[v] someone[w] had not been satisfied with his meat’?
32 An alien has not lodged in the street;
I have opened my door to the traveler.
33 Have I concealed[x] my transgressions as other human beings
to hide my iniquity in my bosom
34 because I dreaded the great multitude,
and the contempt of clans terrified me,
so that I kept quiet, I did not go out of the doorway?
35 O that[y] I had[z] someone hearing me!
Here is my signature;
let Shaddai answer me!
As for[aa] the written communication that my adversary[ab] has written,
36 I would surely[ac] carry it on my shoulder;
I would bind it on me like a crown.
37 I would give him an account of my steps;
I would approach him like a noble.
38 If my land has cried out against me,
and its furrows have wept together,
39 if I have eaten its yield without payment,
or[ad] I have caused the breath of its owners to die,
40 let thorns grow in place of wheat
and noxious weeds in place of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Footnotes
- Job 31:1 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:2 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:11 Literally “an iniquity of judges”
- Job 31:13 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:14 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:16 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:17 Literally “to alone me”
- Job 31:18 Probably referring to “the orphan”
- Job 31:18 Literally “reared”
- Job 31:18 Probably referring to “the widow”
- Job 31:19 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:20 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:23 Literally “I was not able”
- Job 31:24 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:25 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:26 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:27 Literally “it was gullible in the secrecy of my heart”
- Job 31:27 Literally “my hand kissed for my mouth”
- Job 31:29 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:30 Hebrew “and”
- Job 31:31 Literally “If the people of my tent have not said”
- Job 31:31 Literally “who shall give”
- Job 31:31 Or “he”
- Job 31:33 Literally “If I have concealed”
- Job 31:35 Literally “Who shall give”
- Job 31:35 Literally “for me”
- Job 31:35 Hebrew “And,” or “But”
- Job 31:35 Literally “the man of my indictment”
- Job 31:36 Literally “if not”
- Job 31:39 Hebrew “and”
Job 31
Common English Bible
Lust
31 I’ve made a covenant with my eyes;
how could I look at a virgin?
2 What is God’s portion for me[a] from above,
the Almighty’s inheritance from on high?
3 Isn’t it disaster for the wicked,
destruction for workers of iniquity?
4 Doesn’t he see my ways,
count all my steps?
Deceit
5 If I have walked with frauds
or my feet have hurried to deceit,
6 let him weigh me on accurate scales;
let God know my integrity.
7 If my step has turned from the way,
if my heart has followed my eyes
or a blemish has clung to my hands,
8 then let me sow and another reap;
let my offspring be uprooted.
Adultery
9 If my heart has been drawn to a woman
and I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind for another
and others kneel over her;
11 for that’s a crime;
it’s a punishable offense;
12 indeed, it’s a fire that consumes to the underworld,[b]
uprooting all my harvest.
Slaves
13 If I’ve rejected the just cause of my male or female servant
when they contended with me,
14 what could I do when God rises;
when he requires an account, what could I answer?
15 Didn’t the one who made me in the belly make them;
didn’t the same one fashion us in the womb?
The defenseless
16 If I have denied what the poor wanted,
made a widow’s eyes tired,
17 eaten my morsel alone,
and not shared any with an orphan
(18 for from my youth I raised the orphan as a father,
and from my mother’s womb I led the widow);[c]
19 if I ever saw someone dying without clothes, the needy naked;
20 if they haven’t blessed me fervently,[d]
or if they weren’t warmed by the wool from my sheep;
21 if I have lifted my hand against the orphans,
when I saw that I had help in the city gate—
22 may my arm fall from my shoulder,
my forearm be broken at the elbow—
23 for God’s calamity is terror to me;
I couldn’t endure his splendor.
False worship
24 If I’ve made gold my trust,
said to fine gold: “My security!”
25 if I’ve rejoiced because my wealth was great,
when my hand found plenty;
26 if I’ve looked at the sun when it shone,
the moon, splendid as it moved;
27 and my mind has been secretly enticed,
and threw a kiss with my hand,
28 that also is a punishable offense,
because I would then be disloyal to God above.
Others' misfortune
29 If I have rejoiced over my foes’ ruin
or was excited when evil found them,
30 I didn’t let my mouth sin
by asking for their life with a curse.
31 Surely those in my tent never said:
“Who has been filled by Job’s food?”
32 A stranger didn’t spend the night in the street;
I opened my doors to the road.
Concealing sin
33 If I have hidden my transgressions like Adam,[e]
concealing my offenses inside me
34 because I feared the large crowd;
the clan’s contempt frightened me;
I was quiet and didn’t venture outside.
Sealing the solemn pledge
35 Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
Here’s my signature;[f]
let the Almighty respond,
and let my accuser write an indictment.
36 Surely I would bear it on my shoulder,
tie it around me like a wreath.
37 I would give him an account of my steps,
approach him like a prince.
Abuse of the land
38 If my land has cried out against me,
its rows wept together;
39 if I have eaten its yield without payment
and caused its owners grief,
40 may briars grow instead of wheat,
poisonous weeds instead of barley.
Job’s words are complete.
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Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible