16 “If I have (A)withheld anything that the poor desired,
    or have (B)caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
    and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (for from my youth the fatherless[a] grew up with me as with a father,
    and from my mother's womb I guided the widow[b]),
19 if I have seen anyone (C)perish for (D)lack of clothing,
    or the needy without (E)covering,
20 if his body has not (F)blessed me,[c]
    and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against (G)the fatherless,
    because I saw my help in (H)the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
    and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 For I was (I)in terror of calamity from God,
    and I could not have faced his (J)majesty.

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Footnotes

  1. Job 31:18 Hebrew he
  2. Job 31:18 Hebrew her
  3. Job 31:20 Hebrew if his loins have not blessed me

No Injustice on the Poor

16 “If I refused to grant the desire of the poor
    or exhausted the eyes of the widow,
17 if I ate my meals by myself
    without feeding orphans,
18 (even a poor man had grown up with me as if I were his father,
    and even though I had guided the widow[a]
        from the time I was born),
19 if I’ve observed someone who is about to die for lack of clothes
    or if I have no clothing to give to the poor,
20 if he hadn’t thanked me from the bottom of his heart,[b]
    if he had not been warmed by wool from my sheep,
21 if I’ve raised my hand against an orphan
    when I thought I would against him in court,[c]
22 then let my arm[d] fall from its socket;
    and may my arm be torn off at the shoulder.
23 For I’m terrified of what calamity God may have in store for me;
    and I cannot endure his grandeur.”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 31:18 Lit. her
  2. Job 31:20 Lit. hadn’t blessed me from his loins
  3. Job 31:21 Lit. when I saw help for me at the gate
  4. Job 31:22 Lit. side