| 31:1 | Job Defends His Righteousness "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? |
| 31:2 | For what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? |
| 31:3 | Is it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity? |
| 31:4 | Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps? |
| 31:5 | If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit, |
| 31:6 | Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity. |
| 31:7 | If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands, |
| 31:8 | Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out. |
| 31:9 | If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, |
| 31:10 | Then let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her. |
| 31:11 | For that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. |
| 31:12 | For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase. |
| 31:13 | If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, |
| 31:14 | What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? |
| 31:15 | Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb? |
| 31:16 | If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, |
| 31:17 | Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it |
| 31:18 | (But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother's womb I guided the widow ); |
| 31:19 | If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering; |
| 31:20 | If his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; |
| 31:21 | If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate; |
| 31:22 | Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket. |
| 31:23 | For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure. |
| 31:24 | If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, You are my confidence'; |
| 31:25 | If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; |
| 31:26 | If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, |
| 31:27 | So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; |
| 31:28 | This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above. |
| 31:29 | If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him |
| 31:30 | (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul); |
| 31:31 | If the men of my tent have not said, "Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?' |
| 31:32 | (But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler ); |
| 31:33 | If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, |
| 31:34 | Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door-- |
| 31:35 | Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book! |
| 31:36 | Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown; |
| 31:37 | I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him. |
| 31:38 | If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; |
| 31:39 | If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives; |
| 31:40 | Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley."The words of Job are ended. |