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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.

Job’s Final Defense Continued

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes,
so[a] how could I look closely upon a virgin?
And what is the portion of God from above
or[b] the heritage of Shaddai from on high?
Is not disaster for the evil one
and ruin for the workers of mischief?
Does he not see my ways
and count all my steps?
“If I have walked with falseness,
and my foot has hastened to deceit,
let him weigh me in the balance of justice,
and let God know my blamelessness.
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,
let me sow, and let another eat,
and let my crops be rooted out.
“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

  1. Job 31:1 Hebrew “and”
  2. Job 31:2 Hebrew “and”
  3. Job 31:11 Literally “an iniquity of judges”
  4. Job 31:13 Hebrew “and”
  5. Job 31:14 Hebrew “and”
  6. Job 31:16 Hebrew “and”
  7. Job 31:17 Literally “to alone me”
  8. Job 31:18 Probably referring to “the orphan”
  9. Job 31:18 Literally “reared”
  10. Job 31:18 Probably referring to “the widow”
  11. Job 31:19 Hebrew “and”
  12. Job 31:20 Hebrew “and”
  13. Job 31:23 Literally “I was not able”
  14. Job 31:24 Hebrew “and”
  15. Job 31:25 Hebrew “and”
  16. Job 31:26 Hebrew “and”
  17. Job 31:27 Literally “it was gullible in the secrecy of my heart”
  18. Job 31:27 Literally “my hand kissed for my mouth”
  19. Job 31:29 Hebrew “and”
  20. Job 31:30 Hebrew “and”
  21. Job 31:31 Literally “If the people of my tent have not said”
  22. Job 31:31 Literally “who shall give”
  23. Job 31:31 Or “he”
  24. Job 31:33 Literally “If I have concealed”
  25. Job 31:35 Literally “Who shall give”
  26. Job 31:35 Literally “for me”
  27. Job 31:35 Hebrew “And,” or “But”
  28. Job 31:35 Literally “the man of my indictment”
  29. Job 31:36 Literally “if not”
  30. Job 31:39 Hebrew “and”