Job 31:3-5
New King James Version
3 Is it not destruction for the wicked,
And disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 (A)Does He not see my ways,
And count all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood,
Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,
Job 31:3-5
English Standard Version
3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
    and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 (A)Does not he see my ways
    and (B)number all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
    and my foot has hastened to deceit;
Job 31:3-5
The Voice
3     Has it not been made clear these many years?
        Is there not supposed to be punishment poured out on the wicked
        and disaster on those wrongdoers?
4     Does God not see the paths of my choosing;
        does He not count every single step I take?
In this speech, Job is actually recording his deposition; he is calling God to come answer the charges he is laying out. Using a rigid format, Job explains away eight areas of potential sin in his life. So certain is Job that he is innocent of wickedness, he actually pronounces curses upon himself if the all-knowing God finds him guilty of any of the sins. This ethereal courtroom procedure would be like any human going to a court to explain how he did not violate the law of the land and prefacing his testimony with a proposed sentence of the death penalty if the judgment goes against him. Job will soon learn that it is never appropriate to assume he knows more about justice than God, the very author of justice.
Job: 5 If I have walked alongside lies
        or if my feet have rushed toward deception,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

