Job 31
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 31
1 I made a covenant with my eyes
not to gaze upon a virgin.
2 What portion comes from God above,
what heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is it not calamity for the unrighteous,
and woe for evildoers?
4 Does he not see my ways,
and number all my steps?(A)
5 If I have walked in falsehood[a]
and my foot has hastened to deceit,
6 Let God weigh me in the scales of justice;
thus will he know my innocence!(B)
7 If my steps have turned out of the way,
and my heart has followed my eyes,
or any stain clings to my hands,
8 Then may I sow, but another eat,
and may my produce be rooted up!
9 If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door;
10 Then may my wife grind for another,
and may others kneel over her!
11 For that would be heinous,
a crime to be condemned,(C)
12 A fire that would consume down to Abaddon[b]
till it uprooted all my crops.(D)
13 Had I refused justice to my manservant
or to my maidservant, when they had a complaint against me,
14 What then should I do when God rises up?
What could I answer when he demands an account?
15 Did not he who made me in the belly make him?
Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?
16 If I have denied anything that the poor desired,(E)
or allowed the eyes of the widow to languish
17 While I ate my portion alone,
with no share in it for the fatherless,
18 Though like a father he[c] has reared me from my youth,
guiding me even from my mother’s womb—
19 If I have seen a wanderer without clothing,
or a poor man without covering,
20 Whose limbs have not blessed me
when warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21 If I have raised my hand against the innocent
because I saw that I had supporters at the gate—[d]
22 Then may my arm fall from the shoulder,
my forearm be broken at the elbow!
23 For I dread calamity from God,
and his majesty will overpower me.
24 Had I put my trust in gold
or called fine gold my security;
25 Or had I rejoiced that my wealth was great,
or that my hand had acquired abundance—
26 Had I looked upon the light[e] as it shone,(F)
or the moon in the splendor of its progress,
27 And had my heart been secretly enticed
to blow them a kiss with my hand,
28 This too would be a crime for condemnation,
for I should have denied God above.(G)
29 Had I rejoiced at the destruction of my enemy
or exulted when evil came upon him,(H)
30 Even though I had not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against his life—
31 Had not the men of my tent exclaimed,
“Who has not been filled with his meat!”[f]
32 No stranger lodged in the street,
for I opened my door to wayfarers—
33 [g]Had I, all too human, hidden my sins
and buried my guilt in my bosom
34 Because I feared the great multitude
and the scorn of the clans terrified me—
then I should have remained silent, and not come out of doors!
35 [h]Oh, that I had one to hear my case:
here is my signature:[i] let the Almighty answer me!
Let my accuser write out his indictment!(I)
36 Surely, I should wear it on my shoulder[j]
or put it on me like a diadem;
37 Of all my steps I should give him an account;
like a prince[k] I should present myself before him.
38 If my land has cried out against me
till its furrows wept together;
39 If I have eaten its strength without payment
and grieved the hearts of its tenants;
40 Then let the thorns grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed instead of barley!
The words of Job are ended.
Footnotes
- 31:5–34 In a series of purificatory oaths, Job protests his innocence.
- 31:12 Abaddon: see note on 26:6.
- 31:18 He: presumably God.
- 31:21 Gate: cf. notes on 5:4; Ru 4:1.
- 31:26–28 Light: of the sun. Job never sinned by worshiping the sun or the moon. Blow them a kiss: an act of idolatrous worship.
- 31:31 The members of his extended family will testify to his hospitality.
- 31:33–34 Job’s present protest is made, not in spite of hidden sins which he had been unwilling to disclose, but out of genuine innocence. All too human: can also be translated “like Adam.”
- 31:35–37 This concluding bravado fits better after v. 40a.
- 31:35 My signature: lit., “tau,” the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, shaped like a cross. Job issues a subpoena to God, and challenges him to follow proper legal procedure as well.
- 31:36 On my shoulder: i.e., boldly, proudly.
- 31:37 Like a prince: not as a frightened criminal.
約伯記 31
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional)
自言雖遭困苦守道不偏
31 「我與眼睛立約，怎能戀戀瞻望處女呢？ 2 從至上的神所得之份，從至高全能者所得之業，是什麼呢？ 3 豈不是禍患臨到不義的，災害臨到作孽的呢？ 4 神豈不是察看我的道路，數點我的腳步呢？
5 「我若與虛謊同行，腳若追隨詭詐， 6 我若被公道的天平稱度，使神可以知道我的純正， 7 我的腳步若偏離正路，我的心若隨著我的眼目，若有玷汙沾在我手上， 8 就願我所種的有別人吃，我田所產的被拔出來。
9 「我若受迷惑，向婦人起淫念，在鄰舍的門外蹲伏， 10 就願我的妻子給別人推磨，別人也與她同室。 11 因為這是大罪，是審判官當罰的罪孽。 12 這本是火焚燒，直到毀滅，必拔除我所有的家產。 13 我的僕婢與我爭辯的時候，我若藐視不聽他們的情節， 14 神興起，我怎樣行呢？他察問，我怎樣回答呢？ 15 造我在腹中的，不也是造他嗎？將他與我摶在腹中的，豈不是一位嗎？
16 「我若不容貧寒人得其所願，或叫寡婦眼中失望， 17 或獨自吃我一點食物，孤兒沒有與我同吃 18 （從幼年時孤兒與我同長，好像父子一樣，我從出母腹就扶助[a]寡婦）， 19 我若見人因無衣死亡，或見窮乏人身無遮蓋， 20 我若不使他因我羊的毛得暖，為我祝福， 21 我若在城門口見有幫助我的，舉手攻擊孤兒， 22 情願我的肩頭從缺盆骨脫落，我的膀臂從羊矢骨折斷。 23 因神降的災禍使我恐懼，因他的威嚴我不能妄為。
24 「我若以黃金為指望，對精金說『你是我的倚靠』， 25 我若因財物豐裕，因我手多得資財而歡喜， 26 我若見太陽發光，明月行在空中， 27 心就暗暗被引誘，口便親手 28 （這也是審判官當罰的罪孽，又是我背棄在上的神）， 29 我若見恨我的遭報就歡喜，見他遭災便高興 30 （我沒有容口犯罪，咒詛他的生命）， 31 若我帳篷的人未嘗說『誰不以主人的食物吃飽呢？』 32 （從來我沒有容客旅在街上住宿，卻開門迎接行路的人）， 33 我若像亞當[b]遮掩我的過犯，將罪孽藏在懷中， 34 因懼怕大眾，又因宗族藐視我使我驚恐，以致閉口無言，杜門不出—— 35 唯願有一位肯聽我！看哪，在這裡有我所畫的押，願全能者回答我！ 36 願那敵我者所寫的狀詞在我這裡，我必帶在肩上，又綁在頭上為冠冕。 37 我必向他述說我腳步的數目，必如君王進到他面前。 38 我若奪取田地，這地向我喊冤，犁溝一同哭泣， 39 我若吃地的出產不給價值，或叫原主喪命， 40 願這地長蒺藜代替麥子，長惡草代替大麥。」約伯的話說完了。
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