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Job Wonders What Sin He May Have Committed

31 “I have made an agreement with my eyes.
    Then how can I look with lust at a virgin?
What would Eloah above do to me?
    What would be my inheritance from Shadday on high?
Aren’t there catastrophes for wicked people
    and disasters for those who do wrong?
Doesn’t he see my ways
    and count all my steps?

“If I have walked with lies
    or my feet have run after deception,
then let Eloah weigh me on honest scales,
    and he will know I have integrity.

“If my steps have left the proper path,
    or my heart has followed the desire of my eyes,
    or my hands are stained with sin,
then let someone else eat what I have planted,
    and let my crops be uprooted.

“If I have been seduced by a woman
    or I have secretly waited near my neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife grind for another man,
    and let other men kneel over her.
11 That would be a scandal,
    and that would be a criminal offense.
12 It would be a fire that burns even in Abaddon.
    It would uproot my entire harvest.

13 “If I have abused the rights of my servants, male or female,
    when they have disagreed with me,
14 then what could I do if El rises up?
    If he examines me, how could I answer him?
15 Didn’t he who made me in my mother’s belly make them?
    Didn’t the same God form us in the womb?

16 “If I have refused the requests of the poor
    or made a widow’s eyes stop looking for help,
17 or have eaten my food alone
    without letting the orphan eat any of it. . . .
18 (From my youth the orphan grew up with me
    as though I were his father,
        and from my birth I treated the widow kindly.)
19 If I have seen anyone die because he had no clothes
    or a poor person going naked. . . .
20 (If his body didn’t bless me,
    or the wool from my sheep didn’t keep him warm. . . .)
21 If I have shaken my fist at an orphan
    because I knew that others would back me up in court,
22 then let my shoulder fall out of its socket,
    and let my arm be broken at the elbow.

23 “A disaster from El terrifies me.
    In the presence of his majesty I can do nothing.

24 “If I put my confidence in gold
    or said to fine gold, ‘I trust you’. . . .
25 If I enjoyed being very rich
    because my hand had found great wealth. . . .
26 If I saw the light shine
    or the moon move along in its splendor
27 so that my heart was secretly tempted,
    and I threw them a kiss with my hand,
28 then that, too, would be a criminal offense,
    and I would have denied El above.

29 “If I enjoyed the ruin of my enemy
    or celebrated when harm came to him
30 (even though I didn’t speak sinfully
    by calling down a curse on his life). . . .

31 “If the people who were in my tent had said,
    ‘We wish we had never filled our stomachs with his food’. . . .
32 (The visitor never spent the night outside,
    because I opened my door to the traveler.)

33 “If I have covered my disobedience like Adam
    and kept my sin to myself,
34 because I dreaded the large, noisy crowd
    and because the contempt of the local mobs terrified me
        so that I kept quiet and didn’t go outside. . . .

35 “If only I had someone who would listen to me!
    Look, here is my signature!
        Let Shadday answer me.
        Let the prosecutor write his complaint on a scroll.
36 I would certainly carry it on my shoulder
    and place it on my head like a crown.
37 I would tell him the number of my steps
    and approach him like a prince.

38 “If my land has cried out against me,
    and its furrows have wept. . . .
39 If I have eaten its produce without paying for it
    and made its owners breathe their last,
40 then let it grow thistles instead of wheat,
    and foul-smelling weeds instead of barley.”

This is the end of Job’s words.

Job’s Final Defense Continued

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes,
so[a] how could I look closely upon a virgin?
And what is the portion of God from above
or[b] the heritage of Shaddai from on high?
Is not disaster for the evil one
and ruin for the workers of mischief?
Does he not see my ways
and count all my steps?
“If I have walked with falseness,
and my foot has hastened to deceit,
let him weigh me in the balance of justice,
and let God know my blamelessness.
If my steps have turned aside from the way,
and my heart has walked after my eyes,
and my hand has clung to a spot,
let me sow, and let another eat,
and let my crops be rooted out.
“If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
and at my neighbor’s doorway I have lain in wait,
10 let my wife grind for another,
and let other men kneel over her,
11 for that is a shameful act,
and that is a criminal offense.[c]
12 Indeed, that is a fire that will consume up to Abaddon,
and it would uproot all my crop.
13 “If I have rejected my male or[d] female slave’s case
when their complaint was against me,
14 then[e] what shall I do when God rises up?
And when he enquires, how shall I answer him?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have withheld the desire of the poor from them,
or[f] I have caused the widow’s eyes to fail,
17 or I have eaten my morsel alone,[g]
and the orphan has not eaten from it
18 (for from my childhood he[h] grew up with[i] me like a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided her[j]),
19 if I have seen the one who perishes because of no clothing
or[k] that there is no covering for the poor,
20 if his loins have not blessed me,
or[l] by means of my sheep’s fleece he has warmed himself,
21 if I have raised my hand against an orphan
because I saw my supporters at the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 Indeed, the disaster from God was a dread for me,
and I was powerless[m] because of his majesty.
24 “If I have made gold my trust,
or[n] I have called fine gold my security,
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great
or[o] because my hand found a fortune,
26 if I looked at the sun when it shone
or[p] at the moon moving in splendor,
27 and I was secretly enticed,[q]
and my hand threw them a kiss,[r]
28 this also is an iniquity to be judged,
for I have deceived God above.
29 “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of the one who hated me
or[s] have exulted when evil overtook him—
30 no,[t] I have not allowed my mouth to sin,
to ask his life with a curse.
31 Have the people of my tent not said,[u]
O that[v] someone[w] had not been satisfied with his meat’?
32 An alien has not lodged in the street;
I have opened my door to the traveler.
33 Have I concealed[x] my transgressions as other human beings
to hide my iniquity in my bosom
34 because I dreaded the great multitude,
and the contempt of clans terrified me,
so that I kept quiet, I did not go out of the doorway?
35 O that[y] I had[z] someone hearing me!
Here is my signature;
let Shaddai answer me!
As for[aa] the written communication that my adversary[ab] has written,
36 I would surely[ac] carry it on my shoulder;
I would bind it on me like a crown.
37 I would give him an account of my steps;
I would approach him like a noble.
38 If my land has cried out against me,
and its furrows have wept together,
39 if I have eaten its yield without payment,
or[ad] I have caused the breath of its owners to die,
40 let thorns grow in place of wheat
and noxious weeds in place of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.

Footnotes

  1. Job 31:1 Hebrew “and”
  2. Job 31:2 Hebrew “and”
  3. Job 31:11 Literally “an iniquity of judges”
  4. Job 31:13 Hebrew “and”
  5. Job 31:14 Hebrew “and”
  6. Job 31:16 Hebrew “and”
  7. Job 31:17 Literally “to alone me”
  8. Job 31:18 Probably referring to “the orphan”
  9. Job 31:18 Literally “reared”
  10. Job 31:18 Probably referring to “the widow”
  11. Job 31:19 Hebrew “and”
  12. Job 31:20 Hebrew “and”
  13. Job 31:23 Literally “I was not able”
  14. Job 31:24 Hebrew “and”
  15. Job 31:25 Hebrew “and”
  16. Job 31:26 Hebrew “and”
  17. Job 31:27 Literally “it was gullible in the secrecy of my heart”
  18. Job 31:27 Literally “my hand kissed for my mouth”
  19. Job 31:29 Hebrew “and”
  20. Job 31:30 Hebrew “and”
  21. Job 31:31 Literally “If the people of my tent have not said”
  22. Job 31:31 Literally “who shall give”
  23. Job 31:31 Or “he”
  24. Job 31:33 Literally “If I have concealed”
  25. Job 31:35 Literally “Who shall give”
  26. Job 31:35 Literally “for me”
  27. Job 31:35 Hebrew “And,” or “But”
  28. Job 31:35 Literally “the man of my indictment”
  29. Job 31:36 Literally “if not”
  30. Job 31:39 Hebrew “and”

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