16 If I have refused the wishes of the poor
or let the widow’s(A) eyes go blind,
17 if I have eaten my few crumbs alone
without letting the fatherless eat any of it—
18 for from my youth, I raised him as his father,
and since the day I was born[a] I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing
or a needy person without a cloak,(B)
20 if he[b] did not bless me
while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep,
21 if I ever cast my vote[c] against a fatherless child
when I saw that I had support in the city gate,(C)
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my back,
and my arm be pulled from its socket.
23 For disaster from God terrifies me,
and because of His majesty I could not do these things.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. Job 31:18 Lit and from my mother’s womb
  2. Job 31:20 Lit his loins
  3. Job 31:21 Lit I raise my hand

16 “Have I refused to help the poor,
    or crushed the hopes of widows?
17 Have I been stingy with my food
    and refused to share it with orphans?
18 No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father,
    and all my life I have cared for widows.
19 Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes
    and the needy with nothing to wear,
20 did they not praise me
    for providing wool clothing to keep them warm?

21 “If I raised my hand against an orphan,
    knowing the judges would take my side,
22 then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place!
    Let my arm be torn from its socket!
23 That would be better than facing God’s judgment.
    For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?

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