Job Asserts His Integrity
31 “I have made a covenant with my (A)eyes;
How then could I look at a virgin?
2 And what is (B)the portion of God from above,
Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is it not (C)disaster to the criminal,
And misfortune to (D)those who practice injustice?
4 Does He not (E)see my ways,
And (F)count all my steps?
5 “If I have (G)walked with deception,
And my foot has hurried after deceit,
6 Let Him (H)weigh me with [a]accurate scales,
And let God know (I)my integrity.
7 If my step has (J)turned from the way,
Or my heart [b]followed my eyes,
Or if any (K)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me (L)sow and another eat,
And let my [c](M)crops be uprooted.
9 “If my heart has been (N)enticed by a woman,
Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife (O)grind grain for another,
And let (P)others [d]kneel down over her.
11 For that would be a (Q)lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be (R)wrongdoing punishable by judges.
12 For it would be (S)fire that consumes to [e](T)Abaddon,
And would (U)uproot all my [f]increase.
13 “If I have (V)rejected the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14 What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, how am I to answer Him?
15 Did (W)He who made me in the womb not make him,
And the same one create us in the womb?
16 “If I have kept (X)the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of (Y)the widow to fail,
17 Or have (Z)eaten my morsel alone,
And (AA)the orphan has not [g]shared it
18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from [h]my infancy I guided her),
19 If I have seen anyone perish (AB)for lack of clothing,
Or that (AC)the needy had no covering,
20 If his waist has not [i]thanked me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my hand against (AD)the orphan,
Because I saw [j]I had support (AE)in the gate,
22 May my shoulder fall from its [k]socket,
And my (AF)arm be broken off [l]at the elbow.
23 For (AG)disaster from God is a terror to me,
And because of (AH)His majesty I can do nothing.
24 “If I have put my confidence in (AI)gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have (AJ)gloated because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had obtained so much;
26 If I have (AK)looked at the [m]sun when it shone,
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart was secretly enticed,
And my hand [n]threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been (AL)a guilty deed calling for [o]judgment,
For I would have (AM)denied God above.
29 “Have I (AN)rejoiced at the misfortune of my enemy,
Or become excited when evil found him?
30 [p]No, (AO)I have not [q]allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in (AP)a curse.
31 Have the people of my tent not said,
‘Who can [r]find one who has not been (AQ)satisfied with his meat’?
32 The stranger has not spent the night outside,
For I have opened my doors to the [s]traveler.
33 Have I (AR)covered my wrongdoings like a man,
By hiding my guilt in my shirt pocket,
34 Because I (AS)feared the great multitude
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And I kept silent and did not go out of doors?
35 Oh that I had one to hear me!
Here is my [t]signature;
(AT)Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my (AU)adversary has written,
36 I would certainly carry it on my shoulder,
I would tie it to myself like a garland.
37 I would declare to Him (AV)the number of my steps;
Like (AW)a prince, I would approach Him.
38 “If my (AX)land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If I have (AY)eaten its [u]fruit without money,
Or have (AZ)caused [v]its owners to lose their lives,
40 May the (BA)thorn-bush [w]grow instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Footnotes
- Job 31:6 Lit just
- Job 31:7 Lit walked after
- Job 31:8 Or offspring
- Job 31:10 I.e., have sexual relations with her
- Job 31:12 I.e., the place of destruction
- Job 31:12 Or yield
- Job 31:17 Lit eaten from it
- Job 31:18 Lit my mother’s womb
- Job 31:20 Lit blessed; i.e., for clothing
- Job 31:21 Lit my help
- Job 31:22 Lit neck-joint
- Job 31:22 Lit from the bone of the upper arm
- Job 31:26 Lit light
- Job 31:27 Lit kissed my mouth
- Job 31:28 Lit judges
- Job 31:30 Lit And
- Job 31:30 Lit given my palate
- Job 31:31 Lit give
- Job 31:32 MT way
- Job 31:35 Lit mark
- Job 31:39 Lit strength
- Job 31:39 Lit the soul of its owners to expire
- Job 31:40 Lit come forth
Cross references
- Job 31:1 : Matt 5:28
- Job 31:2 : Job 20:29
- Job 31:3 : Job 18:12; 21:30
- Job 31:3 : Job 34:22
- Job 31:4 : 2 Chr 16:9; Job 24:23; 28:24; 34:21; 36:7; Prov 5:21; 15:3
- Job 31:4 : Job 14:16; 31:37
- Job 31:5 : Job 15:31; Mic 2:11
- Job 31:6 : Job 6:2, 3
- Job 31:6 : Job 23:10; 27:5, 6
- Job 31:7 : Job 23:11
- Job 31:7 : Job 9:30
- Job 31:8 : Lev 26:16; Job 20:18; Mic 6:15
- Job 31:8 : Job 31:12
- Job 31:9 : Job 24:15; 31:1
- Job 31:10 : Is 47:2
- Job 31:10 : Deut 28:30; Jer 8:10
- Job 31:11 : Lev 20:10; Deut 22:24
- Job 31:11 : Job 31:28
- Job 31:12 : Job 15:30
- Job 31:12 : Job 26:6
- Job 31:12 : Job 20:28; 31:8
- Job 31:13 : Deut 24:14, 15
- Job 31:15 : Job 10:3
- Job 31:16 : Job 5:16; 20:19
- Job 31:16 : Ex 22:22-24; Job 22:9
- Job 31:17 : Job 22:7
- Job 31:17 : Job 29:12
- Job 31:19 : Job 22:6; 29:13
- Job 31:19 : Job 24:4
- Job 31:21 : Job 29:12; 31:17
- Job 31:21 : Job 29:7
- Job 31:22 : Job 38:15
- Job 31:23 : Job 31:3
- Job 31:23 : Job 13:11
- Job 31:24 : Job 22:24; Mark 10:23-25
- Job 31:25 : Job 1:3, 10; Ps 62:10
- Job 31:26 : Deut 4:19; 17:3; Ezek 8:16
- Job 31:28 : Deut 17:2-7; Job 31:11
- Job 31:28 : Josh 24:27; Is 59:13
- Job 31:29 : Prov 17:5; 24:17; Obad 12
- Job 31:30 : Ps 7:4
- Job 31:30 : Job 5:3
- Job 31:31 : Job 22:7
- Job 31:33 : Gen 3:10; Prov 28:13
- Job 31:34 : Ex 23:2
- Job 31:35 : Job 19:7; 30:20, 24, 28; 35:14
- Job 31:35 : Job 27:7
- Job 31:37 : Job 31:4
- Job 31:37 : Job 1:3; 29:25
- Job 31:38 : Job 24:2
- Job 31:39 : Job 24:6, 10-12; James 5:4
- Job 31:39 : 1 Kin 21:19
- Job 31:40 : Job 32:13; Is 5:6