31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(A)
not to look lustfully at a young woman.(B)
2 For what is our lot(C) from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?(D)
3 Is it not ruin(E) for the wicked,
disaster(F) for those who do wrong?(G)
4 Does he not see my ways(H)
and count my every step?(I)
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit(J)—
6 let God weigh me(K) in honest scales(L)
and he will know that I am blameless(M)—
7 if my steps have turned from the path,(N)
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands(O) have been defiled,(P)
8 then may others eat what I have sown,(Q)
and may my crops be uprooted.(R)
9 “If my heart has been enticed(S) by a woman,(T)
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(U) another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.(V)
11 For that would have been wicked,(W)
a sin to be judged.(X)
12 It is a fire(Y) that burns to Destruction[a];(Z)
it would have uprooted my harvest.(AA)
13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(AB)
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,(AC)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(AD)
What will I answer when called to account?(AE)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(AF)
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(AG)
16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(AH)
or let the eyes of the widow(AI) grow weary,(AJ)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless(AK)—
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widow(AL)—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(AM)
or the needy(AN) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(AO)
for warming them with the fleece(AP) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(AQ)
knowing that I had influence in court,(AR)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.(AS)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(AT)
and for fear of his splendor(AU) I could not do such things.(AV)
24 “If I have put my trust in gold(AW)
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(AX)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(AY)
the fortune my hands had gained,(AZ)
26 if I have regarded the sun(BA) in its radiance
or the moon(BB) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(BC)
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(BD)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(BE)
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(BF)
29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(BG)
or gloated over the trouble that came to him(BH)—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their life(BI)—
31 if those of my household have never said,
‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(BJ)—
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler(BK)—
33 if I have concealed(BL) my sin as people do,[b]
by hiding(BM) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(BN)
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent(BO) and would not go outside—
35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(BP)
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser(BQ) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(BR)
I would put it on like a crown.(BS)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(BT)
I would present it to him as to a ruler.(BU))—
38 “if my land cries out against me(BV)
and all its furrows are wet(BW) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(BX)
or broken the spirit of its tenants,(BY)
40 then let briers(BZ) come up instead of wheat
and stinkweed(CA) instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.(CB)
Footnotes
Cross references
- Job 31:1 : Pr 4:25; 17:24; 2Pe 2:14
- Job 31:1 : Ex 20:14, 17; Dt 5:18; Mt 5:28
- Job 31:2 : Nu 26:55; Ps 11:6; 16:5; 50:18; Ecc 3:22; 5:19; 9:9
- Job 31:2 : S Job 16:19; S 20:29
- Job 31:3 : S Job 21:30
- Job 31:3 : Job 18:12
- Job 31:3 : Job 34:22; Ro 2:9
- Job 31:4 : 2Ch 16:9; Ps 139:3; Da 4:37; 5:23
- Job 31:4 : S ver 14; S Job 10:4
- Job 31:5 : S Job 15:31
- Job 31:6 : Ps 139:23
- Job 31:6 : S Lev 19:36; S Job 6:2
- Job 31:6 : S Ge 6:9; S Job 2:3; S 23:10
- Job 31:7 : S Job 23:11
- Job 31:7 : S Job 9:30
- Job 31:7 : Ps 7:3
- Job 31:8 : S Job 5:5; S 20:10; Jn 4:37
- Job 31:8 : ver 12; Mic 6:15
- Job 31:9 : S Dt 11:16; S Job 24:15; Jas 1:14
- Job 31:9 : Pr 5:3; 7:5
- Job 31:10 : S Jdg 16:21
- Job 31:10 : Dt 28:30
- Job 31:11 : Pr 6:32-33
- Job 31:11 : S Ge 38:24; S Ex 21:12; Jn 8:4-5
- Job 31:12 : S Job 15:30
- Job 31:12 : S Job 26:6
- Job 31:12 : S ver 8
- Job 31:13 : S Dt 5:14
- Job 31:13 : Ex 21:2-11; Lev 25:39-46; Dt 24:14-15
- Job 31:14 : Job 33:5
- Job 31:14 : ver 4, 37; Ps 10:13, 15; 94:7; Isa 10:3; Jer 5:31; Hos 9:7; Mic 7:4; Col 4:1
- Job 31:15 : S Job 4:17; Pr 22:2
- Job 31:15 : S Job 10:3; Eph 6:9
- Job 31:16 : S Lev 25:17; S Job 5:16
- Job 31:16 : S Job 22:9; Jas 1:27
- Job 31:16 : Job 22:7
- Job 31:17 : S Job 6:27; S 22:7
- Job 31:18 : Isa 51:18
- Job 31:19 : Job 22:6; Isa 58:7
- Job 31:19 : S Job 24:4
- Job 31:20 : Job 29:13
- Job 31:20 : Jdg 6:37
- Job 31:21 : S Job 22:7; Jas 1:27
- Job 31:21 : S Job 29:7, 9
- Job 31:22 : Nu 15:30; Job 5:15; 38:15; Ps 10:15; 37:17; 137:5
- Job 31:23 : S Job 10:3; S 30:15
- Job 31:23 : Job 13:11
- Job 31:23 : S Ge 20:11
- Job 31:24 : S Job 22:25
- Job 31:24 : Mt 6:24; Lk 12:15
- Job 31:25 : S Ge 12:16; Ps 49:6; 52:7; 62:10; Isa 10:14
- Job 31:25 : S Job 22:24; Eze 28:5; Lk 12:20-21
- Job 31:26 : S Ge 1:16
- Job 31:26 : Job 25:5
- Job 31:27 : S Dt 11:16; S Job 24:15; Jas 1:14
- Job 31:27 : Jer 8:2; 16:11
- Job 31:28 : S Ge 38:24; Dt 17:2-7
- Job 31:28 : S Nu 11:20; Eze 8:16
- Job 31:29 : S Nu 14:1; Ps 35:15; Ob 1:12; Mt 5:44
- Job 31:29 : Pr 17:5; 24:17-18
- Job 31:30 : Job 5:3; Ro 12:14
- Job 31:31 : S Job 22:7
- Job 31:32 : Ge 19:2-3; Jdg 19:20; Mt 25:35; S Ro 12:13
- Job 31:33 : Ps 32:5; Pr 28:13
- Job 31:33 : S Ge 3:8
- Job 31:34 : Ex 23:2
- Job 31:34 : Ps 32:3; 39:2
- Job 31:35 : S Job 9:24; 30:28
- Job 31:35 : Job 27:7
- Job 31:36 : S Ex 28:12
- Job 31:36 : Job 29:14
- Job 31:37 : S ver 14; S Job 11:11
- Job 31:37 : S Job 21:28
- Job 31:38 : S Ge 4:10
- Job 31:38 : Ps 65:10
- Job 31:39 : S 1Ki 21:19
- Job 31:39 : S Lev 19:13; Jas 5:4
- Job 31:40 : S Ge 3:18; Mt 13:7
- Job 31:40 : Zep 2:9; Mt 13:26
- Job 31:40 : Ps 72:20; Jer 51:64