Job 31

¹“I made a covenant with my eyes;how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin?

²What then would be one’s lot from God above,one’s heritage from the Almighty on high?

³Is it not misfortune for the unjust,and disaster for those who work iniquity?

⁴Does he not see my waysand count all my steps?

⁵If I have walked in falsehood,and if my foot has hastened to deceit –

⁶let him weigh me with honest scales;then God will discover my integrity.

⁷If my footsteps have strayed from the way,if my heart has gone after my eyes,or if anything has defiled my hands,

⁸then let me sow and let another eat,and let my crops be uprooted.

⁹If my heart has been enticed by a woman,and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door,

¹⁰then let my wife turn the millstone for another man,and may other men have sexual relations with her.

¹¹For I would have committed a shameful act,an iniquity to be judged.

¹²For it is a fire that devours even to Destruction,and it would uproot all my harvest.

¹³“If I have disregarded the right of my male servantsor my female servantswhen they disputed with me,

¹⁴then what will I do when God confronts me in judgment;when he intervenes,how will I respond to him?

¹⁵Did not the one who made me in the womb make them?Did not the same one form us in the womb?

¹⁶If I have refused to give the poor what they desired,or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

¹⁷If I ate my morsel of bread myself,and did not share any of it with orphans –

¹⁸but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father,and from my mother’s wombI guided the widow!

¹⁹If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing,or a poor man without a coat,

²⁰whose heart did not bless meas he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,

²¹if I have raised my hand to vote against the orphan,when I saw my support in the court,

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

²³For the calamity from God was a terror to me,and by reason of his majesty I was powerless.

²⁴“If I have put my confidence in goldor said to pure gold,‘You are my security!’

²⁵if I have rejoiced because of the extent of my wealth,or because of the great wealth my hand had gained,

²⁶if I looked at the sun when it was shining,and the moon advancing as a precious thing,

²⁷so that my heart was secretly enticed,and my hand threw them a kiss from my mouth,

²⁸then this also would be iniquity to be judged,for I would have been false to God above.

²⁹If I have rejoiced over the misfortune of my enemyor exulted because calamity found him –

³⁰I have not even permitted my mouth to sinby asking for his life through a curse –

³¹if the members of my household have never said,‘If only there were someonewho has not been satisfied from Job’s meat!’ –

³²But no stranger had to spend the night outside,for I opened my doors to the traveler –

³³if I have covered my transgressions as men do,by hiding iniquity in my heart,

³⁴because I was terrified of the great multitude,and the contempt of families terrified me,so that I remained silentand would not go outdoors –

Job’s Appeal

³⁵“If only I had someone to hear me!Here is my signature –let the Almighty answer me!If only I had an indictmentthat my accuser had written.

³⁶Surely I would wear it proudly on my shoulder,I would bind it on me like a crown;

³⁷I would give him an accounting of my steps;like a prince I would approach him.

Job’s Final Solemn Oath

³⁸“If my land cried out against meand all its furrows wept together,

³⁹if I have eaten its produce without paying,or caused the death of its owners,

⁴⁰then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat,and in place of barley, weeds!”The words of Job are ended.