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Chapter 31

Let God Weigh Me on Honest Scales[a]

“I have made a covenant with my eyes
    not to look with desire upon a virgin.
For what is man’s lot prescribed by God above,
    his inheritance from the Almighty on high?
Is it not destruction for the wicked
    and disaster for wrongdoers?
Does not God see my ways
    and number all my steps?
“If I have walked in falsehood
    or hastened my steps toward deceit,
let God weigh me on honest scales;
    then he will know that I am blameless.

If My Steps Have Wandered . . .[b]

“If my steps have wandered from the path of righteousness,
    or if my eyes have led my heart astray,
    or if any stain has besmirched my hands,
then let someone else eat what I sow,
    and let my crops be uprooted.
“If my heart has been enticed by a woman
    and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife grind grain[c] for another
    and let other men enjoy her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime
    and judged as a criminal offense.
12 It would be a fire that leads to Destruction[d]
    until it consumes all my possessions completely.
13 “If I have ever rejected the pleas of my male or female slaves
    when they lodged a complaint against me,
14 what will I do when God confronts me?
    What will I answer if he calls me to account?
15 Did not he who formed me in the womb also make them?
    Did not the one God create all human beings?[e]
16 “Have I ignored the needs of the poor
    or caused the eyes of widows to overflow with tears?
17 Did I ever eat my bread alone
    without sharing it with an orphan,
18 I whom God has reared like a father
    and guided ever since I left my mother’s womb?
19 “Have I ever seen a stranger in need of clothing,
    or a poor wretch with nothing to cover him,
20 whose body has not blessed me
    after being warmed with the fleece of my sheep?
21 Have I ever raised my hand against the innocent,
    knowing that my friends would support me?
22 “If I have done any of these things,
    then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder
    and let my arm be torn from its socket.
23 For then the fear of God would overcome me
    and I would be unable to stand in his presence.
24 “Have I placed my faith in gold
    and regarded it as my security?
25 Have I rejoiced in my great wealth
    and the abundance of riches in my possession?
26 [f]Have I beheld the sun when it shone
    and the moon moving in its splendor
27 and ever found my heart to be secretly enticed
    so that I blew them a kiss in homage?
28 Any of these would be a serious offense,
    for I would have been unfaithful to God above.
29 [g]“Have I ever rejoiced at the ruin of my enemy
    or exulted when evil overtook him—
30 I who would not allow my tongue to sin
    by laying his life under a curse?
31 Have not those of my household said,
    ‘Who has not eaten his meat and been sated?’
32 No stranger has ever had to spend the night in the street;
    my door has always been open to the traveler.
33 “Have I ever concealed my transgressions as others do,
    keeping my guilt buried within my breast,
34 because I feared the gossip that would ensue,
    and I was terrified at the scorn of the multitude?
If so, then I would have remained silent
    and not ventured out of doors.

May God Respond[h]

35 [i]“Oh, if only I had someone to hear my defense
    and my accuser would write out his indictment!
36 I would wear it on my shoulder
    and place it on my head as a crown.
37 I would give him an account of my entire life,
    and like a prince I would present myself before him.

Concluding Oath[j]

38 “If my land has cried out against me
    and its furrows have joined in the weeping,
39 if I have eaten its produce without payment
    and caused the death of its owners,
40 then let thistles grow instead of wheat
    and noxious weeds instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

Footnotes

  1. Job 31:1 If God recompenses everyone according to one’s deserts, he must render justice to Job.
  2. Job 31:7 Using the traditional formula for cursing (Num 5:20-22), Job examines his life in all the fundamental areas of religion and the law. In his actions, intentions, and most secret feelings, he is without fault.
  3. Job 31:10 Grind grain: slaves were used for grinding grain.
  4. Job 31:12 Destruction: literally, “Abaddon”; see note on Job 26:6.
  5. Job 31:15 Some scholars believe that verses 38-40 of this chapter should be placed after this verse instead of in their accustomed spot.
  6. Job 31:26 Job knows that to worship the sun or the moon is a sin (see Deut 4:19; 17:3; Ezek 8:16f), and he was careful not to do so. Blew them a kiss: a sign of respect that implied recognition of a divinity (the Latin word adorare [“adore”] came from ad os meaning “put the hand to the mouth”). Therefore, to blow a kiss to the stars meant to practice idolatry.
  7. Job 31:29 Job has never succumbed to gloating over enemies, which had been condemned by Moses (Ex 23:4f) and would later also be ruled out by Christ (Mt 5:43-47).
  8. Job 31:35 Job is ready to appear before God and certain to be able to refute every accusation in his presence.
  9. Job 31:35 The written indictment took the form of a lengthy papyrus scroll that Job would like to wear like a turban.
  10. Job 31:38 Job now offers a concluding oath to complete an earlier theme. He calls for a curse on his land if he has neglected social justice (see vv. 13-15). Some scholars place verses 38-40 after verse 15 in this chapter.

31 "Unë kisha bërë një besëlidhje me sytë e mi; si mund ta fiksoja, pra, shikimin mbi një virgjëreshë?

Cili është fati që më ka caktuar Perëndia nga atje lart dhe trashëgimia e të Plotfuqishmit nga vendet e larta?

A nuk është vallë fatkeqësia për njeriun e çoroditur dhe mjerimi për atë që kryen të keqen?

Nuk i shikon ai tërë rrugët e mia dhe nuk i numëron të gjitha hapat që bëj?

Në rast se kam vepruar me falsitet, ose në rast se këmba ime është shpejtuar të ndjekë mashtrimin,

le të më peshojë me një peshore të saktë, dhe Perëndia do ta njohë ndershmërinë time.

Në qoftë se hapat e mia kanë dalë nga rruga e drejtë, dhe në qoftë se zemra ime ka ndjekur sytë e mi, apo në se ndonjë njollë u është ngjitur duarve të mia,

le të mbjell unë dhe një tjetër të hajë, dhe pasardhësit e mi u çrrënjofshin.

Në rast se zemra ime është mashtruar nga një grua dhe kam përgjuar në portën e të afërmit tim,

10 gruaja ime le të bluajë për një tjetër dhe të tjerë u përkulshin mbi të.

11 Sepse kjo do të ishte një mbrapshti, një faj që duhet të dënohet nga gjyqtarët,

12 një zjarr që konsumon deri në Abadon, dhe do të kishte shkatërruar deri në rrënjë gjithë të korrat e mia.

13 Në rast se kam hedhur poshtë të drejtën e shërbëtorit tim dhe të shërbëtores sime, kur po grindeshin me mua,

14 çfarë do të bëja kur Perëndia të ngrihej kundër meje, dhe si do t’i përgjigjesha kur të më kërkonte llogari?

15 Ai që më ka bërë mua në barkun e nënës, a nuk e ka bërë edhe atë? A nuk ka qenë po ai Perëndi që na ka krijuar në bark?

16 Në rast se u kam refuzuar të varfërve atë që dëshironin dhe bëra të veniten sytë e gruas së ve,

17 në rast se e hëngra vetëm copën e bukës pa i dhënë një pjesë jetimit,

18 (por që në rininë time unë e rrita si një baba, dhe që në bark të nënës sime e kam ndihmuar gruan e ve)

19 në rast se kam parë dikë të vdesë për mungesë rrobash ose një të varfër që nuk kishte me se të mbulohej,

20 në rast se ijet e tij nuk më kanë bekuar, dhe nuk është ngrohur me leshin e qengjave të mi,

21 në qoftë se kam ngritur dorën kundër jetimit, sepse e dija që do të ndihmohesha tek porta,

22 supi im u ndaftë nga shpatulla, krahu im u theftë në bërryl!

23 Sepse fatkeqësia që vjen nga Perëndia më kall drithma, dhe për shkak të madhështisë së tij nuk mund të bëj asgjë.

24 Në qoftë se kam pasur besim tek ari, dhe arit të kulluar i kam thënë: Ti je shpresa ime,,"

25 në rast se jam gëzuar sepse pasuritë e mia ishin të mëdha, dhe sepse dora ime ka grumbulluar shumë pasuri,

26 në qoftë se kam shikuar diellin kur shkëlqen ose hënën që shkonte përpara duke ndritur, dhe zemra ime u mashtrua tinëz dhe goja ime puthi dorën time;

27 edhe ky do të ishte një faj që duhet të dënohet nga gjyqtarët, sepse do të kisha mohuar Perëndinë që rri aty lart.

28 Në rast se jam gëzuar për fatkeqësinë e armikut tim dhe u ngrita, sepse e kishte goditur fakeqësia

29 (por unë nuk e lejova gojën time të mëkatonte, duke i uruar të vdesë me një mallkim);

30 në qoftë se njerëzit e çadrës sime nuk kanë thënë: "Kush mund të gjejë një që nuk është ngopur me mishin e tij?".

31 (përveç kësaj asnjë i huaj nuk e kalonte natën jashtë, sepse i hapja portat e mia udhëtarit);

32 në rast se i kam mbuluar mëkatet e mia si Adami, duke e fshehur fajin tim në gji,

33 sepse kisha frikë nga turma e madhe dhe përbuzja e familjeve më tmerronte, kështu që rrija i heshtur pa dalë nga shtëpia.

34 Ah, sikur të kisha një që të më dëgjonte! Ja firma ime! I Plotfuqishmi të më përgjigjet! Kundërshtari im të shkruajë një dokument,

35 dhe unë do ta mbaja me siguri mbi shpatullat e mia, dhe do ta mbaja si një diademë

36 do t’i jepja llogari për të gjitha hapat e mia, duke iu paraqitur si një princ.

37 Në qoftë se toka ime bërtet kundër meje dhe brazdat e saj qajnë bashkë me të,

38 në rast se kam ngrënë frytin e saj pa paguar, në rast se u kam nxjerrë frymën e fundit zotërve të saj,

39 në vend të grurit u rritshin ferra dhe barëra të këqija në vend të elbit".

40 Këtu mbarojnë fjalët e Jobit.

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(A)
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.(B)
For what is our lot(C) from God above,
    our heritage from the Almighty on high?(D)
Is it not ruin(E) for the wicked,
    disaster(F) for those who do wrong?(G)
Does he not see my ways(H)
    and count my every step?(I)

“If I have walked with falsehood
    or my foot has hurried after deceit(J)
let God weigh me(K) in honest scales(L)
    and he will know that I am blameless(M)
if my steps have turned from the path,(N)
    if my heart has been led by my eyes,
    or if my hands(O) have been defiled,(P)
then may others eat what I have sown,(Q)
    and may my crops be uprooted.(R)

“If my heart has been enticed(S) by a woman,(T)
    or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(U) another man’s grain,
    and may other men sleep with her.(V)
11 For that would have been wicked,(W)
    a sin to be judged.(X)
12 It is a fire(Y) that burns to Destruction[a];(Z)
    it would have uprooted my harvest.(AA)

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

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

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

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

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

38 “if my land cries out against me(BV)
    and all its furrows are wet(BW) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(BX)
    or broken the spirit of its tenants,(BY)
40 then let briers(BZ) come up instead of wheat
    and stinkweed(CA) instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.(CB)

Footnotes

  1. Job 31:12 Hebrew Abaddon
  2. Job 31:33 Or as Adam did