Job 29

Job’s Summary Defense

1And Job again ^atook up his discourse, and said:

2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me,
3when his ^blamp shone upon my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness,
4as I was in my prime, ▼

▼Hebrew  my autumn days

when the ^dfriendship of God was upon my tent,
5when the Almighty was yet with me,
when my ^echildren were all around me,
6when my steps were ^fwashed with ^gbutter,
and ^hthe rock poured out for me streams of ⁱoil!
7When I went out to ^jthe gate of the city,
when I prepared my seat in the square,
8the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the aged rose and stood;
9the princes refrained from talking
and ^klaid their hand on their mouth;
10the voice of the nobles was hushed,
and their ^ltongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
and when the eye saw, it approved,
12because I ^mdelivered the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 ⁿThe blessing of him who was ^oabout to perish came upon me,
and I caused ^pthe widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14I ^qput on righteousness, and it clothed me;
my justice was like a robe and ^ra turban.
15I was ^seyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16I was a father to the needy,
and I searched out ^tthe cause of him whom I did not know.
17I ^ubroke ^vthe fangs of the unrighteous
and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 ^wThen I thought, ‘I shall die in my ^xnest,
and I shall multiply my days as ^ythe sand,
19my ^zroots spread out to ^aathe waters,
with the dew all night on my ^abbranches,
20my glory fresh with me,
and my ^acbow ever ^adnew in my hand.’
21 “Men listened to me and waited
and kept silence for my counsel.
22After I spoke they did not speak again,
and my word ^aedropped upon them.
23They waited for me as for the rain,
and they ^afopened their mouths as for the ^agspring rain.
24I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
and ^ahthe light of my ^aiface they did not cast down.
25I chose their way and sat as chief,
and I lived like ^aja king among his troops,
like one who comforts mourners.

Job 31

Job’s Final Appeal

1 “I have made a covenant with my ^akeyes;
how then could I gaze at a virgin?
2What would be ^almy portion from God above
and ^ammy heritage from the Almighty on high?
3Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 ^anDoes not he see my ways
and ^aonumber all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
and my foot has hastened to deceit;
6(Let me be ^apweighed in a just balance,
and let God know my integrity!)
7if my step has turned aside from the way
and ^aqmy heart has gone after my eyes,
and if any ^arspot has stuck to my hands,
8then let me ^assow, and another eat,
and let what grows for me ▼

▼Or  let my descendants

be rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
and I have ^aulain in wait at my neighbor’s door,
10then let my wife ^avgrind for another,
and let others ^awbow down on her.
11For that would be a heinous crime;
that would be an iniquity ^axto be punished by the judges;
12for that would be a fire ^aythat consumes as far as Abaddon,
and it would burn to the root all my increase.
13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
when they brought a complaint against me,
14what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he ^azmakes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15Did ^banot he who made me in the womb make him?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have ^bbwithheld anything that the poor desired,
or have ^bccaused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17or have eaten my morsel alone,
and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18(for from my youth the fatherless ▼

▼Hebrew he

grew up with me as with a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow ▼

▼Hebrew her

),
19if I have seen anyone ^bfperish for ^bglack of clothing,
or the needy without ^bhcovering,
20if his body has not ^biblessed me, ▼

▼Hebrew  if his loins have not blessed me

and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21if I have raised my hand against ^bkthe fatherless,
because I saw my help in ^blthe gate,
22then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23For I was ^bmin terror of calamity from God,
and I could not have faced his ^bnmajesty.
24 ^bo“If I have made gold my ^bptrust
or called ^bqfine gold my confidence,
25if I have ^brrejoiced because my wealth was abundant
or because ^bsmy hand had found much,
26 ^btif I have looked at the sun ▼

▼Hebrew  the light

when it shone,
or ^bvthe moon moving in splendor,
27and my heart has been secretly enticed,
and my mouth has kissed my hand,
28this also would be ^bwan iniquity to be punished by the judges,
for I would have been false to God above.
29 “If I have ^bxrejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
or exulted when evil overtook him
30( ^byI have not let my mouth sin
by asking for his life with a curse),
31if the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who is there that has not been filled with his ^bzmeat?’
32( ^cathe sojourner has not lodged in the street;
I have opened my doors to the traveler),
33if I ^cbhave concealed my transgressions ^ccas others do ▼

▼Or  as Adam did

by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34because I stood in great fear of ^cethe multitude,
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
35Oh, that I had one to hear me!
(Here is my signature! Let the Almighty ^cfanswer me!)
Oh, that I had ^cgthe indictment written by my adversary!
36Surely I would carry it on my ^chshoulder;
I would ^cibind it on me as ^cja crown;
37I would give him an account of all my steps;
like a prince I would approach him.
38 “If my land has cried out against me
and its furrows have wept together,
39 ^ckif I have eaten its yield without payment
and made its owners ^clbreathe their last,
40let ^cmthorns grow instead of wheat,
and foul weeds instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.