Job 31
Tree of Life Version
Job Asks for Judgment
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes
not to pay attention to a virgin.
2 For what is one’s lot from God above,
one’s heritage from Shaddai on high?
3 Is it not calamity for the unjust,
and disaster for workers of iniquity?
4 Does He not see my ways
and count all my steps?
5 “If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has hurried to deceit,
6 then let Him weigh me with honest scales,
then God will know my integrity.
7 If my step has strayed from the way,
if my heart has walked after my eyes,
or if any defilement has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me sow and another eat,
and let my crops be uprooted.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
or I have lurked 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 shameful act,
an iniquity to be judged.
12 For it is a fire that devours to destruction,
and uproots all my harvest.
13 “If I have denied justice to my male or female servant
when they disputed with me,
14 then what could I do when God rises up;
when He visits, how will I answer Him?
15 Did not He who made me in the womb, make him?
Did not the same one form us in the womb?
16 “If I withheld the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 if I ate my morsel of bread myself,
without letting an orphan eat of it
18 (but from my youth I reared him as a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided her),
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing
or the needy without a covering,
20 if his heart did not bless me
as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the orphan,
when I saw my support in the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken off at the joint.
23 For calamity from God was a terror to me,
and because of His majesty, I could do nothing.
24 “If I have put my confidence in gold
or said to fine gold, ‘You are my security,’
25 if I rejoiced because of my great wealth
or because of the abundance my hand acquired,
26 if I looked at the sun when it shines
or the moon moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed,
and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 then this also would be iniquity to be judged,
for I would have denied God above.
29 “If I rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune
or gloated because calamity found him—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin,
by asking for his life with a curse—
31 if anyone in my household has ever said,
‘Who has not been filled with his meat?’
32 —but no stranger had to spend the night outside
for my door was open to the traveler—
33 if I have I covered my transgressions like Adam,
by hiding my guilt in my bosom
34 because I feared a great multitude,
and the contempt of clans terrified me,
so that I kept silent
and would not go outside.
35 O, that I had someone to hear me!
Look, here is my signature,
let Shaddai answer me,
let the accuser write the indictment!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
I would bind it on me as a crown.
37 I would give Him an account of my steps;
like a prince I would approach Him.
38 “If my land cries out against me,
and its furrows weep together,
39 if I have eaten its fruits without money,
or caused the death of its owners,
40 then let briars come up instead of wheat,
and stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Iyov 31
Orthodox Jewish Bible
31 I made a brit (covenant) with mine eyes; how then look I upon a betulah?
2 For what chelek of Eloah is there from above? And what nachalah of Shaddai from on high?
3 Is not destruction to the wicked? And a disaster to the poalei aven (workers of wrong)?
4 Doth not He see my derech, and count all my steps?
5 If I have walked with shav (vanity, falsehood), or if my regel hath hasted to mirmah (deceit),
6 Let me be weighed in scales of tzedek that Eloah may know mine tom (integrity).
7 If my step hath turned out of the derech, and mine lev walked after mine eyes, and if any mum hath cleaved to mine hands,
8 Then let me sow, and let acher (another) eat; yea, let my harvest be uprooted.
9 If mine lev have been deceived by an isha, or if I have lurked at petach (doorway) of my re’a;
10 Then let my isha grind for another, and let another kneel over her.
11 For this is a heinous crime; yea, it is an avon to be brought before judges.
12 For it is an eish that consumeth to Abaddon, and would root out all mine increase.
13 If I did despise the mishpat (cause) of my eved or of my amah, when they contended with me,
14 What then shall I do when El riseth up? And when He visiteth, what shall I answer Him?
15 Did not He that made me in the beten make them? And did not Echad fashion us in the rechem?
16 If I have withheld the poor from their chefetz (desire), or have caused the eyes of the almanah to grow weary,
17 Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the yatom hath not eaten thereof;
18 (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with an av, and I have guided her from beten immi;)
19 If I have seen any oved (one perishing) for want of clothing, or any evyon (needy) without covering,
20 If his heart did not bless me for warming him with the giz (fleece) of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my yad against the yatom, when I saw my influence in the sha’ar (gate, court);
22 Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder, and mine zero’a be broken from its socket.
23 For destruction from El was a pachad to me, and by reason of His majesty I could not endure.
24 If I have made zahav my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my security,
25 If I rejoice because my wealth was rav (great), and because mine yad had gotten much,
26 If I beheld the ohr when it shined, or the yarei’ach moving in splendor,
27 And my lev hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my yad [in heathen worship];
28 This also were an avon to be punished by the judge; for then I would have been unfaithful, denying El that is on high.
29 If I rejoice at the misfortune of him that hated me, or gloated when rah found him,
30 Neither have I allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse to his nefesh.
31 Have the men of my ohel not said, Where can we find one who has not been sated with his basar (meat)?
32 The stranger did not spend the night in the street, but I opened my delet to the ger.
33 If I concealed my peysha like Adam, by hiding mine avon in my heart,
34 Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of mishpekhot terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of doors?
35 Oh that one would hear me! See, my tav [signature], that Shaddai would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a sefer [of indictment];
36 Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder, and bind it to me like atarot (crowns).
37 I would declare unto Him the number of my steps; like a nagid (prince) would I go near unto Him.
38 If my adamah cry against me, or if the furrows had wept together,
39 If I have eaten the yield thereof without kesef (payment), or have broken the nefesh of the tenants thereof,
40 Let thistles grow instead of chittim (wheat), and weed instead of barley. The divrei Iyov are ended.
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