Job 31
World English Bible
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes;
how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?
2 For what is the portion from God above,
and the heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is it not calamity to the unrighteous,
and disaster to the workers of iniquity?
4 Doesn’t he see my ways,
and count all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood,
and my foot has hurried to deceit
6 (let me be weighed in an even balance,
that God may know my integrity);
7 if my step has turned out of the way,
if my heart walked after my eyes,
if any defilement has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me sow, and let another eat.
Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
9 “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 would 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 (I have certainly 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 31
International Children’s Bible
31 “But I made an agreement with my eyes
not to look with desire at a girl.
2 What has God above promised those who do this?
What has God All-Powerful on high planned for them?
3 It is ruin for the evil people.
It is disaster for those who do wrong.
4 God sees my ways,
and he counts every step I take.
5 “I have not been a dishonest person.
I have not lied to others.
6 Let God weigh me on honest scales.
Then he will know I have done nothing wrong.
7 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.
8 If I have done these things, then let other people eat what I have planted.
And let my crops be plowed up.
9 “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.
by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
