²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or ^(A)stretched^[a] out our hands to a foreign god,

¹³ “If you would ^(A)prepare your heart,
And ^(B)stretch out your hands toward Him;

^17 (A)All this has come upon us;
But we have not forgotten You,
Nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant.

³ O Lord my God, ^(A)if I have done this:
If there is ^(B)iniquity in my hands,
⁴ If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or ^(C)have plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵ Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

⁵ “If I have walked with falsehood,
Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,
^6 [a]Let me be weighed on honest scales,
That God may know my ^(A)integrity.
⁷ If my step has turned from the way,
Or ^(B)my heart walked after my eyes,
Or if any spot adheres to my hands,
⁸ Then ^(C)let me sow, and another eat;
Yes, let my harvest be ^[b]rooted out.

⁹ “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
¹⁰ Then let my wife grind for ^(D)another,
And let others bow down over her.
¹¹ For that would be wickedness;
Yes, ^(E)it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.
¹² For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction,
And would root out all my increase.

¹³ “If I have ^(F)despised the cause of my male or female servant
When they complained against me,
¹⁴ What then shall I do when ^(G)God rises up?
When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
^15 (H)Did not He who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

¹⁶ “If I have kept the poor from their desire,
Or caused the eyes of the widow to ^(I)fail,
¹⁷ Or eaten my morsel by myself,
So that the fatherless could not eat of it
¹⁸ (But from my youth I reared him as a father,
And from my mother’s womb I guided ^[c]the widow);
¹⁹ If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or any poor man without covering;
²⁰ If his ^[d]heart has not ^(J)blessed me,
And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
²¹ If I have raised my hand ^(K)against the fatherless,
When I saw I had help in the gate;
²² Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,
Let my arm be torn from the socket.
²³ For ^(L)destruction from God is a terror to me,
And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

²⁴ “If^(M) I have made gold my hope,
Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’;
^25 (N)If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had gained much;
^26 (O)If I have observed the ^[e]sun when it shines,
Or the moon moving in brightness,
²⁷ So that my heart has been secretly enticed,
And my mouth has kissed my hand;
²⁸ This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment,
For I would have denied God who is above.

²⁹ “If^(P) I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,
Or lifted myself up when evil found him
^30 (Q)(Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for a curse on his ^[f]soul);
³¹ If the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’
^32 (R)(But no sojourner had to lodge in the street,
For I have opened my doors to the ^[g]traveler);
³³ If I have covered my transgressions ^(S)as^[h] Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
³⁴ Because I feared the great ^(T)multitude,
And dreaded the contempt of families,
So that I kept silence
And did not go out of the door—
^35 (U)Oh, that I had one to hear me!
Here is my mark.
Oh, ^(V)that the Almighty would answer me,
That my ^[i]Prosecutor had written a book!
³⁶ Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
And bind it on me like a crown;
³⁷ I would declare to Him the number 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 ^(W)I have eaten its ^[j]fruit without money,
Or ^(X)caused its owners to lose their lives;
⁴⁰ Then let ^(Y)thistles grow instead of wheat,
And weeds instead of barley.”