Job 31

Wycliffe Bible

31 I made [a] covenant with mine eyes, that I should not think on a virgin. (I made a covenant with my eyes, that I would not look at a young girl.)

² For what part should God above have in me, and what heritage should Almighty God of high things have in me? (For I thought, what is the portion from God above, and what is the inheritance from Almighty God on high?)

³ Whether perdition is not to a wicked man, and alienation of God is to men working wickedness? (Is it not perdition for the wicked, and alienation from God for those working wickedness?)

⁴ Whether he beholdeth not my ways, and numbereth all my goings?

⁵ If I have gone in vanity, and my foot hath hasted to go in guile, (I have not gone in pride, and my feet have not gone in guile;)

⁶ God weigh me in a just balance, and know he my simpleness. (let God weigh me in a just balance, and he shall know my innocence.)

⁷ If my step(s) have bowed from the way; and if mine eye(s) have followed mine heart, consenting to lust, and if a spot have cleaved to mine hands;

⁸ (then) sow I, and another eat, and my generation be drawn out by the root.

⁹ And if mine heart was deceived on a woman, and if I have set ambush at the door of my friend; (And if my heart hath been deceived by a woman, or if I have set ambush at the door of my friend;)

¹⁰ my wife be then the whore of another man, and other men be bowed down upon her. (then let my wife be the whore of another man, and let other men be bowed down upon her.)

¹¹ For this is unleaveful, and the most wickedness. (For this is unlawful, and the greatest of wickedness.)

¹² Fire is devouring till to wasting, and drawing up by the root all generations. (It is a fire devouring unto destruction, and drawing up by the roots all of my descendants.)

¹³ If I despised to take doom with my servant and with mine handmaid, when they strived against me. (If I despised to do justly with my slave, or with my slave-girl, when they complained against me,)

¹⁴ What soothly shall I do, when God shall rise up to deem? and when he shall ask, what shall I answer to him? (then what shall I do, when God shall rise up to judge? and when he shall ask, what shall I answer to him?)

¹⁵ Whether he, that wrought also him, made not me in the womb, and one God formed me in the womb? (Did not he, who made me in the womb, make not also them? yea, the one God formed each of us in the womb.)

¹⁶ If I denied to poor men that, that they would, and if I made the eyes of a widow to abide; (If I denied to the poor what they needed, or if I made the eyes of a widow to have despair;)

¹⁷ (or) if I alone ate my morsel, and a fatherless child ate not thereof;

¹⁸ for merciful doing increased with me, (or was granted me,) from my young childhood, and it went out of my mother’s womb with me;

¹⁹ if I despised a man passing forth by me, for he had not a cloth (because he had no cloak), and a poor man without (any) covering;

²⁰ if his sides blessed not me, and were not made hot of the fleece of my sheep; (if his body had no reason to bless me, because he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;)

²¹ if I raised up mine hand upon a fatherless child, yea, when I saw me the higher (one) in the gate; (if I raised my hand against a fatherless child, when I knew that the higher men would overlook it;)

²² my shoulder fall from his joint, and mine arm with his bones be all-broken. (then let my shoulder come out of its joint, and the bones of my arm be all-broken.)

²³ For ever[more] I dreaded God, as waves waxing great upon me; and I might not bear his burden. (But I have always feared God, like waves growing great upon me; and so I could never do any of these things.)

²⁴ If I guessed gold (to be) my strength, and I said to pured gold, Thou art my trust (Thou art what I trust in);

²⁵ if I was glad on my many riches, and for mine hand found full many things;

²⁶ if I saw the sun, when it shined, and the moon going clearly (and the moon moving in its glory);

²⁷ and if mine heart was glad in private, and if I kissed mine hand with my mouth;

²⁸ the which is the most wickedness, and denying against the highest God; (all of this is most wicked, and a denial of the God on high;)

²⁹ if I had joy at the falling of him, that hated me, and if I joyed fully, that evil had found him; (and if I had great joy at the falling of him who hated me, and if I had rejoiced, that evil had finally found him;)

³⁰ for I gave not my throat to do sin, that I should assail and curse his soul; (but I did not give my tongue over to sin, and assail his soul with cursing;)

³¹ if the men of my tabernacle said not, Who giveth, that we be [ful]filled of his fleshes? (even if the men of my household said, O God, that we be filled full with his flesh!)

³² a pilgrim dwelled not withoutforth; my door was (always) open to a way-goer/to a way-faring man;

³³ if I as [a] man (ever) hid my sin, and covered (up) my wickedness in my bosom;

³⁴ if I dreaded at [the] full great multitude, and if despising of neighbours made me afeared; and not more, (that) I was still, and went not out of the door; (if I feared all the people, or if the despising of my neighbours made me afraid; and not only that, but if I held my peace, and did not even go out the door;)

³⁵ who giveth then an helper to me, that Almighty God hear my desire? that he that deemeth, write a book, (then who shall be my helper? my only desire is that Almighty God would listen to me. And if my adversary hath written a book against me,)

³⁶ that I bear it on my shoulder, and compass it as a crown to me? (then I would carry it on my shoulder, and wear it like a crown.)

³⁷ By all my degrees I shall pronounce it, and I shall as (an) offering offer it to the prince. (I shall declare all the steps, that my life hath taken, and I shall offer them like I would an offering to the prince.)

³⁸ If my land crieth against me, and his furrows weep with it (and its furrows weep with it);

³⁹ if I ate (the) fruits thereof without money, and I tormented the soul of (the) earth-tillers of it;

⁴⁰ a briar grow to me for wheat, and a thorn for barley. (then let briars grow for me instead of wheat, and thorns instead of barley. And so Job’s words were ended.)