Job 31

Job Asserts His Integrity

1 “I have made a covenant with my ^aeyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 “And what is ^bthe portion of God from above
Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?
3 “Is it not ^ccalamity to the unjust
And disaster to ^dthose who work iniquity?
4 “Does He not ^esee my ways
And ^fnumber all my steps?

5 “If I have ^gwalked with falsehood,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
6 Let Him ^hweigh me with ^{▼▼ Lit just}accurate scales,
And let God know ^jmy integrity.
7 “If my step has ^kturned from the way,
Or my heart ^{▼▼ Lit walked after}followed my eyes,
Or if any ^mspot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me ⁿsow and another eat,
And let my ^{▼▼ Or offspring
,} ^pcrops be uprooted.

9 “If my heart has been ^qenticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife ^rgrind for another,
And let ^sothers ^{▼▼ I.e. sexual relations}kneel down over her.
11 “For that would be a ^ulustful crime;
Moreover, it would be ^van iniquity punishable by judges.
12 “For it would be ^wfire that consumes to ^{▼▼ I.e. place of destruction
,} ^yAbaddon,
And would ^zuproot all my ^{▼▼ Or yield}increase.

13 “If I have ^abdespised the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14 What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
15 “Did not ^acHe who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?

16 “If I have kept ^adthe poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of ^aethe widow to fail,
17 Or have ^afeaten my morsel alone,
And ^agthe orphan has not ^{▼▼ Lit eaten from it}shared it
18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from ^{▼▼ Lit my mother’s womb}infancy I guided her),
19 If I have seen anyone perish ^ajfor lack of clothing,
Or that ^akthe needy had no covering,
20 If his loins have not ^{▼▼ Lit blessed}thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my hand against ^amthe orphan,
Because I saw ^{▼▼ Lit my help}I had support ^aoin the gate,
22 Let my shoulder fall from the ^{▼▼ Lit shoulder; or back}socket,
And my ^aqarm be broken off ^{▼▼ Lit from the bone of the upper arm}at the elbow.
23 “For ^ascalamity from God is a terror to me,
And because of ^atHis ^{▼▼ Lit exaltation}majesty I can do nothing.

24 “If I have put my confidence in ^avgold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have ^awgloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had secured so much;
26 If I have ^axlooked at the ^{▼▼ Lit light}sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand ^{▼▼ Lit kissed my mouth}threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been ^baan iniquity calling for ^{▼▼ Lit judges}judgment,
For I would have ^bcdenied God above.

29 “Have I ^bdrejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,
Or ^{▼▼ Lit lifted myself up}exulted when evil befell him?
30 ^{▼▼ Lit And}“No, ^bgI have not ^{▼▼ Lit given my palate}allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in ^bia curse.
31 “Have the men of my tent not said,
‘Who can ^{▼▼ Lit give}find one who has not been ^bksatisfied with his meat’?
32 “The alien has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the ^{▼▼ M.T. way}traveler.
33 “Have I ^bmcovered my transgressions like ^{▼▼ Or mankind}Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34 Because I ^bofeared the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And kept silent and did not go out of doors?
35 “Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my ^{▼▼ Lit mark}signature;
^bqLet the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my ^bradversary has written,
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.
37 “I would declare to Him ^bsthe number of my steps;
Like ^bta prince I would approach Him.

38 “If my ^buland cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If I have ^bveaten its ^{▼▼ Lit strength}fruit without money,
Or have ^bxcaused ^{▼▼ Lit the soul of its owners to expire}its owners to lose their lives,
40 Let ^bzbriars ^{▼▼ Lit come forth}grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.