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16 “If I have withheld anything that the poor desired
    or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail(A)
17 or have eaten my morsel alone
    and the orphan has not eaten from it—(B)
18 for from my youth I reared the orphan[a] like a father,
    and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow[b]
19 if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing
    or a poor person without covering,
20 whose loins have not blessed me,
    and who was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;(C)
21 if I have raised my hand against the orphan
    because I saw I had supporters at the gate;(D)
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
    and let my arm be broken from its socket.(E)
23 For I was in terror of calamity from God,
    and I could not have faced his majesty.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 31.18 Heb him
  2. 31.18 Heb her

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