Job 31

Job, to defend himself from the unjust judgments of his friends, gives a sincere account of his own virtues.

1 I reached an agreement with my eyes, that I would not so much as think about a virgin. 2 For what portion should God from above hold for me, and what inheritance should the Almighty from on high keep? 3 Is not destruction held for the wicked and repudiation kept for those who work injustice? 4 Does he not examine my ways and number all my steps? 5 If I have walked in vanity, or if my foot has hurried towards deceitfulness, 6 let him weigh me in a just balance, and let God know my simplicity. 7 If my steps have turned aside from the way, or if my heart has followed my eyes, or if a blemish has clung to my hands, ^{▼▼31:7The Latin word ‘et’ is usually translated as ‘and,’ but in this and certain other contexts, it clearly means ‘or.’ Job is not saying: ‘If I have done all three of these things,’ but rather, ‘If I have done any one of these things.’ Therefore, the translation is ‘or’ not ‘and.’(Conte)} 8 then may I sow, and let another consume, and let my offspring be eradicated. 9 If my heart has been deceived over a woman, or if I have waited in ambush at my friend’s door, 10 then let my wife be the harlot of another, and let other men lean over her. 11 For this is a crime and a very great injustice. 12 It is a fire devouring all the way to perdition, and it roots out all that springs forth. 13 If I have despised being subject to judgment with my servant or my maid, when they had any complaint against me, 14 then what will I do when God rises to judge, and, when he inquires, how will I respond to him? 15 Is not he who created me in the womb, also he who labored to make him? And did not one and the same form me in the womb? ^{▼▼31:15The word ‘utero’ is more general in meaning in Latin than the word ‘uterus’ is in English. The Latin ‘utero’ can refer to a male’s abdomen or to a woman’s womb. So, why does the Latin use two words, utero and vulva, and two questions (or a two-part question) to ask the same thing? Because the masculine singular word utero refers, not to the womb, but to the father’s (not well understood during Job’s day) genitive capability, and the word vulva refers to the mother’s genitive capability.(Conte)} 16 If I have denied the poor what they wanted and have made the eyes of the widow wait; 17 if I have eaten my morsel of food alone, while orphans have not eaten from it; 18 (for from my infancy mercy grew with me, and it came out with me from my mother’s womb;) 19 if I have looked down on him who was perishing because he had no clothing and the poor without any covering, 20 if his sides have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; 21 if I have lifted up my hand over an orphan, even when it might seem to me that I have the advantage over him at the gate; 22 then may my shoulder fall from its joint, and may my arm, with all its bones, be broken. 23 For I have always feared God, like waves flowing over me, whose weight I was unable to bear. 24 If I have considered gold to be my strength, or if I have called purified gold ‘my Trust;’ 25 if I have rejoiced over my great success, and over the many things my hand has obtained; 26 if I gazed upon the sun when it shined and the moon advancing brightly, ^{▼▼31:26 If I beheld the sun, etc: If I behold the sun and moon with admiration, knowing them to be created and governed by the power of God, I call on my adversaries to produce any thing against me, whereby I could be charged with worshipping the sun or moon.(Challoner)} 27 so that my heart rejoiced in secret and I kissed my hand with my mouth, 28 which is a very great iniquity and a denial against the most high God; 29 if I have been glad at the ruin of him who hated me and have exulted that evil found him, 30 for I have not been given my throat to sin by asking for a curse on his soul; 31 if the men around my tabernacle have not said: “He might give us some of his food, so that we will be filled,” ^{▼▼31:31Job is listing sinful things that he has not done, so this good deed is spoken of in the negative: ‘Si non dixerunt....’ The good deed is that any men who came around his tabernacle (or tent or home) knew that they might obtain food from him if they were hungry. The Latin is here translated loosely, because a strict literal translation would be more difficult to understand. Here ‘carnibus’ does not specifically refer to meat (or flesh), but to food or a meal. Notice that ‘Quis’ is not to be understood as the word ‘Who’ introducing a question, but as a pronoun, better translated as ‘He’ than as ‘Who.’ Latin uses ‘quis’ as a pronoun in a way that English rarely uses the word ‘who.’ The quote here, beginning with ‘Quis’ could be translated as a question, but it is more clearly understood in its proper meaning when translated as a statement. The hungry knew that they could count on Job for food when they were hungry. Notice also that the genitive ‘tabernaculi mei,’ referring to ‘viri’ does not connotate possession (the men of my tabernacle), for the next verse clearly indicates that these men are foreigners or travelers, not the men working or living at Job’s home. The genitive case can occasionally mean ‘among’ or ‘around’ rather than ‘of.’(Conte)} 32 for the foreigner did not remain at the door, my door was open to the traveler; 33 if, as man does, I have hidden my sin and have concealed my iniquity in my bosom; 34 if I became frightened by an excessive crowd, and the disrespect of close relatives alarmed me, so that I would much rather have remained silent or have gone out the door; 35 then, would he grant me a hearing, so that the Almighty would listen to my desire, and he who judges would himself write a book, ^{▼▼31:35Again, the word ‘quis’ in Latin does not always mean ‘who,’ even when used in a question. In this case, Job is referring to all of the previous ‘if...’ propositions, saying, if all of these faults had been found in Job, would He still grant Job a favorable hearing and a clear vindication? No, He would not. ‘Quis’ is here used as a pronoun referring to God.(Conte)} 36 which I would then carry on my shoulder and wrap around me like a crown? 37 With each of my steps, I would pronounce and offer it, as if to a prince. 38 So, if my land cries out against me, and if its furrows weep with it, 39 if I have used its fruits for nothing but money and have afflicted the souls of its tillers, ^{▼▼31:39This verse does not say: ‘if I have eaten of its fruits without money,’ but rather: ‘if I have used its fruits for nothing except money.’ The first translation does not make any sense. The second translation makes sense and fits with the theme of this part of the Book of Job, wherein Job lists the faults he doesn’t have. The word ‘comedi’ can refer to eating, but it can also refer to other kinds of consuming or the using of something. The word ‘absque’ can be translated as ‘without,’ but it can also mean ‘except for’ or ‘nothing but.’ Job is saying that it would be a sin to use the land as nothing but a source of money for himself.(Conte)} 40 then, may thistles spring forth for me instead of grain, and thorns instead of barley. (This ended the words of Job.) ^{▼▼31:40The words of Job are ended.(Challoner)}