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31 “But I made an agreement with my eyes
    not to look with desire at a girl.
What has God above promised those who do this?
    What has God All-Powerful on high planned for them?
It is ruin for the evil people.
    It is disaster for those who do wrong.
God sees my ways,
    and he counts every step I take.

“I have not been a dishonest person.
    I have not lied to others.
Let God weigh me on honest scales.
    Then he will know I have done nothing wrong.
I have not turned away from doing what is right.
    My heart has not been led by my eyes to do wrong.
    My hands have not been made unclean.
If I have done these things, then let other people eat what I have planted.
    And let my crops be plowed up.

“I have not desired another woman.
    I have never waited at my neighbor’s door to commit adultery with his wife.
10 If I have done these things, then let my wife grind another man’s grain.
    And let other men have physical relations with her.
11 Sexual sin is shameful.
    It is a sin which must be punished.
12 It is like a fire that burns and destroys forever.
    It would destroy all I have.

13 “I have been fair to my male and female slaves
    when they had a complaint against me.
14 If I have not, how could I tell God what I did?
    What will I answer when God asks me to explain what I’ve done?
15 God made me in my mother’s womb, and he also made them.
    The same God formed both of us in our mothers’ wombs.

16 “I have never refused anything the poor wanted.
    I have never let widows give up hope while looking for help.
17 I have not kept my food to myself.
    I have also given it to the orphans.
18 Since I was young, I have been like a father to the orphans.
    And from my birth I guided the widows.
19 I have not let a person die because he had no clothes.
    I have not let a needy person go without a coat.
20 That person’s heart blessed me.
    This was because I warmed him with the wool of my sheep.
21 I have never hurt an orphan
    even when I knew I could win in court.
22 If I have, then let my arm fall off my shoulder.
    Let it be broken at the joint.
23 This is because I dread destruction from God.
    I could not do such things because I fear his majesty.

24 “I have not put my trust in gold.
    I have not said to pure gold, ‘You are my safety.’
25 I have not celebrated my great wealth.
    I have not celebrated that my hands had gained riches.
26 I have not thought about worshiping the sun in its brightness.
    I have not admired the moon moving in glory
27 so that my heart was pulled away from God.
    My hand has never offered the sun and moon a kiss of worship.
28 If I had, these also would have been sins to be punished.
    I would have been unfaithful to God if I had done these things.

29 “I have not been happy when my enemy was ruined.
    I have not laughed when he had trouble.
30 I have not let my mouth sin
    by cursing my enemy’s life.
31 The men of my house have always said,
    ‘Everyone has eaten all he wants of Job’s food.’
32 No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street.
    I always let the traveler stay in my home.
33 I have not hidden my sin as other men do.
    I did not hide my guilt in my heart.
34 I was not so afraid of the crowd.
I did not keep quiet and stay inside
    because I feared being hated by other families.

35 (“How I wish a court would hear my case!
    Here I sign my name to show I have told the truth.
Now let God All-Powerful answer me.
    Let the one who is against me write down what he accuses me of.
36 I would surely wear the writing on my shoulder.
    I would put it on like a crown.
37 I would explain to God every step I took.
    I would come near to God like a prince.)

38 “My land did not cry out against me.
    Its plowed rows were not wet with tears.
39 I did not take the land’s harvest without paying.
    I did not break the spirit of those who took care of the land.
40 If I did, then let thorns come up instead of wheat.
    And let weeds come up instead of barley.”

The words of Job are finished.

31 »Yo había convenido con mis ojos
    no mirar con lujuria a ninguna mujer.[a]
¿Qué se recibe del Dios altísimo?
    ¿Qué se hereda del Todopoderoso en las alturas?
¿No es acaso la ruina para los malvados
    y el desastre para los malhechores?
¿Acaso no se fija Dios en mis caminos
    y toma en cuenta todos mis pasos?

»Si he andado en malos pasos,
    o mis pies han corrido tras la mentira,
¡que Dios me pese en una balanza justa,
    y así sabrá que soy inocente!
Si mis pies se han apartado del camino,
    o mi corazón se ha dejado llevar por mis ojos,
    o mis manos se han llenado de ignominia,
¡que se coman otros lo que yo he sembrado,
    y que sean destruidas mis cosechas!

»Si por alguna mujer me he dejado seducir,
    si a las puertas de mi prójimo he estado al acecho,
10 ¡que mi esposa muela el grano de otro hombre,
    y que otros hombres se acuesten con ella!
11 Eso habría sido una infamia,
    ¡un pecado que tendría que ser juzgado!
12 ¡Habría sido un incendio destructor!
    ¡Habría arrancado mi cosecha de raíz!

13 »Si me negué a hacerles justicia
    a mis siervos y a mis siervas
    cuando tuvieron queja contra mí,
14 ¿qué haré cuando Dios me pida cuentas?
    ¿qué responderé cuando me haga comparecer?
15 El mismo Dios que me formó en el vientre
    fue el que los formó también a ellos;
    nos dio forma en el seno materno.

16 »Jamás he desoído los ruegos de los pobres,
    ni he dejado que las viudas desfallezcan;
17 jamás el pan me lo he comido solo,
    sin querer compartirlo con los huérfanos.
18 Desde mi juventud he sido un padre para ellos;
    y siempre he cuidado de las viudas.
19 Si he dejado que alguien muera por falta de vestido,
    o que un necesitado no tenga qué ponerse;
20 si este no me ha bendecido de corazón
    por haberlo abrigado con lana de mis rebaños;
21 o si he levantado contra el huérfano mi mano
    por contar con influencias en los tribunales,[b]
22 ¡que los brazos se me caigan de los hombros,
    que se me disloquen de sus articulaciones!
23 Siempre he sido temeroso del castigo de Dios;
    ¡ante su majestad no podría resistir!

24 »¿Acaso he puesto en el oro mi confianza,
    o le he dicho al oro puro: “En ti confío”?
25 ¿Me he ufanado de mi gran fortuna,
    de las riquezas amasadas con mis manos?
26 ¿He admirado acaso el resplandor del sol
    o el avance esplendoroso de la luna,
27 como para rendirles culto en lo secreto
    y enviarles un beso con la mano?
28 ¡También este pecado tendría que ser juzgado,
    pues habría yo traicionado al Dios de las alturas!

29 »¿Acaso me he alegrado de la ruina de mi enemigo?
    ¿Acaso he celebrado su desgracia?
30 ¡Jamás he permitido que mi boca peque
    pidiendo que le vaya mal!
31 ¿Quién bajo mi techo no sació su hambre
    con los manjares de mi mesa?
32 Jamás mis puertas se cerraron al viajero;
    jamás un extraño pasó la noche en la calle.
33 Jamás he ocultado mi pecado,
    como el común de la gente,[c]
ni he mantenido mi culpa en secreto,
34     por miedo al qué dirán.
Jamás me he quedado en silencio y encerrado
    por miedo al desprecio de mis parientes.

35 »¡Cómo quisiera que Dios me escuchara!
    Estampo aquí mi firma;
    que me responda el Todopoderoso.
Si él quiere contender conmigo,
    que lo haga por escrito.
36 Llevaré esa acusación sobre mis hombros;
    me la pondré como diadema.
37 Compareceré ante él con dignidad,
    y le daré cuenta de cada uno de mis pasos.

38 »Si mis tierras claman contra mí,
    y todos sus surcos se inundan en llanto;
39 si he tomado la cosecha de alguien sin pagarle,
    o quebrantado el ánimo de sus dueños,
40 ¡que nazcan en mi tierra zarzas en vez de trigo,
    y hierbas en vez de cebada!»

Con esto Job dio por terminado su discurso.

Footnotes

  1. 31:1 mujer. Lit. virgen.
  2. 31:21 en los tribunales. Lit. en la puerta (de la ciudad).
  3. 31:33 como el común de la gente. Alt. como Adán.