31 ‘I made a covenant with my eyes
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.
² For what is our lot from God above,
    our heritage from the Almighty on high?
³ Is it not ruin for the wicked,
    disaster for those who do wrong?
⁴ Does he not see my ways
    and count my every step?

⁵ ‘If I have walked with falsehood
    or my foot has hurried after deceit –
⁶ let God weigh me in honest scales
    and he will know that I am blameless –
⁷ if my steps have turned from the path,
    if my heart has been led by my eyes,
    or if my hands have been defiled,
⁸ then may others eat what I have sown,
    and may my crops be uprooted.

⁹ ‘If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
    or if I have lurked at my neighbour’s door,
¹⁰ then may my wife grind another man’s grain,
    and may other men sleep with her.
¹¹ For that would have been wicked,
    a sin to be judged.
¹² It is a fire that burns to Destruction;^[a]
    it would have uprooted my harvest.

¹³ ‘If I have denied justice to any of my servants,
    whether male or female,
    when they had a grievance against me,
¹⁴ what will I do when God confronts me?
    What will I answer when called to account?
¹⁵ Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
    Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

¹⁶ ‘If I have denied the desires of the poor
    or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
¹⁷ if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless –
¹⁸ but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow –
¹⁹ if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
    or the needy without garments,
²⁰ and their hearts did not bless me
    for warming them with the fleece from my sheep,
²¹ if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
    knowing that I had influence in court,
²² then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
    let it be broken off at the joint.
²³ For I dreaded destruction from God,
    and for fear of his splendour I could not do such things.

²⁴ ‘If I have put my trust in gold
    or said to pure gold, “You are my security,”
²⁵ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
    the fortune my hands had gained,
²⁶ if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
    or the moon moving in splendour,
²⁷ so that my heart was secretly enticed
    and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
²⁸ then these also would be sins to be judged,
    for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

²⁹ ‘If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune
    or gloated over the trouble that came to him –
³⁰ I have not allowed my mouth to sin
    by invoking a curse against their life –
³¹ if those of my household have never said,
    “Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?”–
³² but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
    for my door was always open to the traveller –
³³ if I have concealed my sin as people do,^[b]
    by hiding my guilt in my heart
³⁴ because I so feared the crowd
    and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
    that I kept silent and would not go outside –

³⁵ (‘Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
    I sign now my defence – let the Almighty answer me;
    let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
³⁶ Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
    I would put it on like a crown.
³⁷ I would give him an account of my every step;
    I would present it to him as to a ruler.) –

³⁸ ‘if my land cries out against me
    and all its furrows are wet with tears,
³⁹ if I have devoured its yield without payment
    or broken the spirit of its tenants,
⁴⁰ then let briers come up instead of wheat
    and stinkweed instead of barley.’

‘I am young in years,
    and you are old;
that is why I was fearful,
    not daring to tell you what I know.
⁷ I thought, “Age should speak;
    advanced years should teach wisdom.”
⁸ But it is the spirit^[b] in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
⁹ It is not only the old^[c] who are wise,
    not only the aged who understand what is right.

¹⁰ ‘Therefore I say: listen to me;
    I too will tell you what I know.
¹¹ I waited while you spoke,
    I listened to your reasoning;
while you were searching for words,
¹²     I gave you my full attention.
But not one of you has proved Job wrong;
    none of you has answered his arguments.
¹³ Do not say, “We have found wisdom;
    let God, not a man, refute him.”
¹⁴ But Job has not marshalled his words against me,
    and I will not answer him with your arguments.

¹⁵ ‘They are dismayed and have no more to say;
    words have failed them.
¹⁶ Must I wait, now that they are silent,
    now that they stand there with no reply?
¹⁷ I too will have my say;
    I too will tell what I know.
¹⁸ For I am full of words,
    and the spirit within me compels me;
¹⁹ inside I am like bottled-up wine,
    like new wineskins ready to burst.
²⁰ I must speak and find relief;
    I must open my lips and reply.
²¹ I will show no partiality,
    nor will I flatter anyone;
²² for if I were skilled in flattery,
    my Maker would soon take me away.

⁵ You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
    abounding in love to all who call to you.
⁶ Hear my prayer, Lord;
    listen to my cry for mercy.
⁷ When I am in distress, I call to you,
    because you answer me.

⁸ Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
    no deeds can compare with yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made
    will come and worship before you, Lord;
    they will bring glory to your name.
¹⁰ For you are great and do marvellous deeds;
    you alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.
¹² I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name for ever.
¹³ For great is your love towards me;
    you have delivered me from the depths,
    from the realm of the dead.

¹⁴ Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
    ruthless people are trying to kill me –
    they have no regard for you.
¹⁵ But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy on me;
    show your strength on behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
    just as my mother did.
¹⁷ Give me a sign of your goodness,
    that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
    for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

³ Glorious things are said of you,
    city of God:^[a]
4 ‘I will record Rahab^[b] and Babylon
    among those who acknowledge me –
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush^[c] –
    and will say, “This one was born in Zion.”’^[d]
5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said,
    ‘This one and that one were born in her,
    and the Most High himself will establish her.’
⁶ The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:
    ‘This one was born in Zion.’

⁷ As they make music they will sing,
    ‘All my fountains are in you.’