Job 31

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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;

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

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

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

9If my heart went after another man's wife, or if I was waiting secretly at my neighbour's door;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15Did not God make him as well as me? did he not give us life in our mothers' bodies?

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

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

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

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

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.)

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;)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

29If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred 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;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

39If I have taken its produce without payment, causing the death of its owners;

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

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