Job 31

1 “I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look lustfully at a girl.

2 For what is man's lot from God above,
his heritage from the Almighty on high?

3 Is it not ruin for the wicked,
disaster for those who do wrong?

4 Does he not see my ways
and count my every step?

5 “If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit—

6 let God weigh me in honest scales
and he will know that I am blameless—

7 if my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands have been defiled,

8 then may others eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.

9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,

10 then may my wife grind another man's grain,
and may other men sleep with her.

11 For that would have been shameful,
a sin to be judged.

12 It is a fire that burns to Destruction;
it would have uprooted my harvest.

13 “If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants
when they had a grievance against me,

14 what will I do when God confronts me?
What will I answer when called to account?

15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,

17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless—

18 but from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my birth I guided the widow—

19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a garment,

20 and his heart did not bless me
for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,

21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
knowing that I had influence in court,

22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.

23 For I dreaded destruction from God,
and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.

24 “If I have put my trust in gold
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’

25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
the fortune my hands had gained,

26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
or the moon moving in splendor,

27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,

28 then these also would be sins to be judged,
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.

29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune
or gloated over the trouble that came to him—

30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against his life—

31 if the men of my household have never said,
‘Who has not had his fill of Job's meat?’—

32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler—

33 if I have concealed my sin as men do,
by hiding my guilt in my heart

34 because I so feared the crowd
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent and would not go outside

35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser put his indictment in writing.

36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
I would put it on like a crown.

37 I would give him an account of my every step;
like a prince I would approach him.)—

38 “if my land cries out against me
and all its furrows are wet with tears,

39 if I have devoured its yield without payment
or broken the spirit of its tenants,

40 then let briers come up instead of wheat
and weeds instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.

JOB 31

Job Continues

I Promised Myself

1 I promised myself
never to stare with desire
at a young woman.

2 God All-Powerful punishes
men who do that.

3 In fact, God sends disaster
on all who sin,

4 and he keeps a close watch
on everything I do.

5 I am not dishonest or deceitful,

6 and I beg God to prove
my innocence.

7 If I have disobeyed him
or even wanted to,

8 then others can eat my harvest
and uproot my crops.

9 If I have desired someone's wife
and chased after her,

10 then let some stranger
steal my wife from me.

11 If I took someone's wife,
it would be a horrible crime,

12 sending me to destruction
and my crops to the flames.t

13 When my servants
complained against me,
I was fair to them.

14 Otherwise, what answer
would I give to God
when he judges me?

15 After all, God is the one
who gave life to each of us
before we were born.

I Have Never Cheated Anyone

16  t I have never cheated widows
or others in need,

17 and I have always shared
my food with orphans.

18 Since the time I was young,
I have cared for orphans
and helped widows.t

19 I provided clothes for the poor,

20 and I was praised
for supplying woolen garments
to keep them warm.

21 If I have ever raised my arm
to threaten an orphan
when the power was mine,

22 I hope that arm will fall
from its socket.

23 I could not have been abusive;
I was terrified at the thought
that God might punish me.

24  t I have never trusted
the power of wealth,

25 or taken pride in owning
many possessions.
*

26 I have never openly or secretly

27 worshiped the sun or moon.

28 Such horrible sins
would have deserved
punishment from God.

29 I have never laughed
when my enemies
were struck by disaster.

30 Neither have I sinned
by asking God
to send down on them
the curse of death.

31 No one ever went hungryt
at my house,

32 and travelers
were always welcome.

33 Many have attempted to hide
their sins from others—
but I refused.

34 And the fear of public disgrace
never forced me to keep silent
about what I had done.

Why Doesn't God Listen?

35 Why doesn't God All-Powerful
listen and answer?
If God has something against me,
let him speak up
or put it in writing!

36 Then I would wear his charges
on my clothes and forehead.

37 And with my head held high,
I would tell him everything
I have ever done.

38 I have never mistreated
the land I farmed
and made it mourn.t

39 Nor have I cheated
my workers
and caused them pain.t

40 If I had, I would pray
for weeds instead of wheat
to grow in my fields.
After saying these things,
Job was silent.