Lust
31 I’ve made a covenant with my eyes;
how could I look at a virgin?
2 What is God’s portion for me[a] from above,
the Almighty’s inheritance from on high?
3 Isn’t it disaster for the wicked,
destruction for workers of iniquity?
4 Doesn’t he see my ways,
count all my steps?
Deceit
5 If I have walked with frauds
or my feet have hurried to deceit,
6 let him weigh me on accurate scales;
let God know my integrity.
7 If my step has turned from the way,
if my heart has followed my eyes
or a blemish has clung to my hands,
8 then let me sow and another reap;
let my offspring be uprooted.
Adultery
9 If my heart has been drawn to a woman
and I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind for another
and others kneel over her;
11 for that’s a crime;
it’s a punishable offense;
12 indeed, it’s a fire that consumes to the underworld,[b]
uprooting all my harvest.
Slaves
13 If I’ve rejected the just cause of my male or female servant
when they contended with me,
14 what could I do when God rises;
when he requires an account, what could I answer?
15 Didn’t the one who made me in the belly make them;
didn’t the same one fashion us in the womb?
The defenseless
16 If I have denied what the poor wanted,
made a widow’s eyes tired,
17 eaten my morsel alone,
and not shared any with an orphan
(18 for from my youth I raised the orphan as a father,
and from my mother’s womb I led the widow);[c]
19 if I ever saw someone dying without clothes, the needy naked;
20 if they haven’t blessed me fervently,[d]
or if they weren’t warmed by the wool from my sheep;
21 if I have lifted my hand against the orphans,
when I saw that I had help in the city gate—
22 may my arm fall from my shoulder,
my forearm be broken at the elbow—
23 for God’s calamity is terror to me;
I couldn’t endure his splendor.
False worship
24 If I’ve made gold my trust,
said to fine gold: “My security!”
25 if I’ve rejoiced because my wealth was great,
when my hand found plenty;
26 if I’ve looked at the sun when it shone,
the moon, splendid as it moved;
27 and my mind has been secretly enticed,
and threw a kiss with my hand,
28 that also is a punishable offense,
because I would then be disloyal to God above.
Others' misfortune
29 If I have rejoiced over my foes’ ruin
or was excited when evil found them,
30 I didn’t let my mouth sin
by asking for their life with a curse.
31 Surely those in my tent never said:
“Who has been filled by Job’s food?”
32 A stranger didn’t spend the night in the street;
I opened my doors to the road.
Concealing sin
33 If I have hidden my transgressions like Adam,[e]
concealing my offenses inside me
34 because I feared the large crowd;
the clan’s contempt frightened me;
I was quiet and didn’t venture outside.
Sealing the solemn pledge
35 Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
Here’s my signature;[f]
let the Almighty respond,
and let my accuser write an indictment.
36 Surely I would bear it on my shoulder,
tie it around me like a wreath.
37 I would give him an account of my steps,
approach him like a prince.
Abuse of the land
38 If my land has cried out against me,
its rows wept together;
39 if I have eaten its yield without payment
and caused its owners grief,
40 may briars grow instead of wheat,
poisonous weeds instead of barley.
Job’s words are complete.