Job 31 — Side by side (WEB, ASV, BBE, YLT)

1I made a covenant with mine eyes; How then should I look upon a virgin?

1I made an agreement with my eyes; how then might my eyes be looking on a virgin?

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

2For what is the portion from God above, And the heritage from the Almighty on high?

2For what is God's reward from on high, or the heritage given by the Ruler of all from heaven?

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

3Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, And disaster to the workers of iniquity?

3Is it not trouble for the sinner, and destruction for the evil-doers?

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

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

4Does he not see my ways, and are not my steps all numbered?

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

5If I have walked with falsehood, And my foot hath hasted to deceit

5 If I have walked with falsehood, And my foot hath hasted to deceit

5If I have gone in false ways, or my foot has been quick in working deceit;

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

6(Let me be weighed in an even balance, That God may know mine integrity);

6(Let me be measured in upright scales, and let God see my righteousness:)

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

7If my step hath turned out of the way, And my heart walked after mine eyes, And if any spot hath cleaved to my hands:

7If my steps have been turned out of the way, or if my heart went after my eyes, or if the property of another is in my 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 the produce of my field be rooted out.

8Let me put seed in the earth for another to have the fruit of it, and let my produce be uprooted.

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

9If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, And I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door;

9 If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, And I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door;

9If my heart went after another man's wife, or if I was waiting secretly 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.

10Then let my wife give pleasure to another man and let others make use of her body.

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

11For that were a heinous crime; Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges:

11For that would be a crime; it would be an act for which punishment would be measured out by the judges:

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

12For it is a fire that consumeth unto Destruction, And would root out all mine increase.

12It would be a fire burning even to destruction, and taking away all my produce.

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

13If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant, When they contended with me;

13If I did wrong in the cause of my man-servant, or my woman-servant, when they went to law 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?

14What then will I do when God comes as my judge? and what answer may I give to his questions?

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 God make him as well as me? did he not give us life in our mothers' bodies?

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 fromtheirdesire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

16 If I have withheld the poor fromtheirdesire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

16If I kept back the desire of the poor; if the widow's eye was looking for help to no purpose;

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

17Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof

17If I kept my food for myself, and did not give some of it to the child with no father;

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

18(Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And her have I guided from my mother’s womb);

18(For I was cared for by God as by a father from my earliest days; he was my guide from the body of my mother;)

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 that the needy had no covering;

19If I saw one near to death for need of clothing, and that the poor had nothing covering him;

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 hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

20If his back did not give me a blessing, and the wool of my sheep did not make him warm;

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, Because I saw my help in the gate:

21If my hand had been lifted up against him who had done no wrong, when I saw that I was supported by the judges;

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

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

22May my arm be pulled from my body, and be broken from its base.

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

23For calamity from God is a terror to me, And by reason of his majesty I can do nothing.

23For the fear of God kept me back, and because of his power I might not do such things.

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, And have said to the fine gold, Thou artmy confidence;

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

24If I made gold my hope, or if I ever said to the best gold, I have put my faith in you;

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

25If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gotten much;

25If I was glad because my wealth was great, and because my hand had got together a great store;

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

26If I have beheld the sun when it shined, Or the moon walking in brightness,

26If, when I saw the sun shining, and the moon moving on its bright way,

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

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

27A secret feeling of worship came into my heart, and my hand gave kisses from my mouth;

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

28This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges; For I should have denied the God that is above.

28That would have been another sin to be rewarded with punishment by the judges; for I would have been false to God on high.

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

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

29If I was glad at the trouble of my hater, and gave cries of joy when evil overtook him;

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

30(Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin By asking his life with a curse);

30(For I did not let my mouth give way to sin, in putting a curse on his life;)

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

31If the men of my tent have not said, Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat?

31If the men of my tent did not say, Who has not had full measure of his meat?

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

32(The sojourner hath not lodged in the street; But I have opened my doors to the traveller);

32The traveller did not take his night's rest in the street, and my doors were open to anyone on a journey;

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

33If like Adam I have covered my transgressions, By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom,

33If I kept my evil doings covered, and my sin in the secret of my breast,

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

34Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door—

34For fear of the great body of people, or for fear that families might make sport of me, so that I kept quiet, and did not go out of my 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 I had one to hear me! (Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me) Andthat I hadthe indictment which mine adversary hath written!

35If only God would give ear to me, and the Ruler of all would give me an answer! or if what he has against me had been put in writing!

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 carry it upon my shoulder; I would bind it unto me as a crown:

36Truly I would take up the book in my hands; it would be to me as a crown;

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.

37I would make clear the number of my steps, I would put it before him like a prince! The words of Job are ended.

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

38If my land crieth out against me, And the furrows thereof weep together;

38If my land has made an outcry against me, or the ploughed earth has been in sorrow;

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 I have taken its produce without payment, causing the death of its owners;

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.

40Then in place of grain let thorns come up, and in place of barley evil-smelling plants.

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