Job 31

1I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

1A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what--do I attend to a virgin?

2For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

2And what <FI>is<Fi> the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?

3Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?

3Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?

4Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?

4Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?

5If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;

5If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,

6Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.

6He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.

7If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;

7If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,

8Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.

8Let me sow--and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.

9If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;

9If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,

10Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

10Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.

11For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

11For it <FI>is<Fi> a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;

12For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.

12For a fire it <FI>is<Fi> , to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,

13If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;

13If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,

14What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

14Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?

15Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?

15Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.

16If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

16If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,

17Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;

17And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,

18(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;)

18(But from my youth He grew up with me as <FI>with<Fi> a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.)

19If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;

19If I see <FI>any<Fi> perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,

20If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

20If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,

21If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:

21If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in <FI>him<Fi> the gate of my court,

22Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.

22My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.

23For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.

23For a dread unto me <FI>is<Fi> calamity <FI>from<Fi> God, And because of His excellency I am not able.

24If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

24If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, `My trust,'

25If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;

25If I rejoice because great <FI>is<Fi> my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,

26If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

26If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,

27And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:

27And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,

28This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

28It also <FI>is<Fi> a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.

29If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:

29If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,

30Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.

30Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.

31If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.

31If not--say ye, O men of my tent, `O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'

32The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.

32In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.

33If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:

33If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,

34Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?

34Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.

35Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

35Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.

36Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.

36If not--on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.

37I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.

37The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.

38If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;

38If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,

39If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

39If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,

40Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.

40Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.