Job 31

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

1I made a covenant with mine eyes; and how should I fix my regard upon a maid?

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

2For what would have been [my] portion ofGod from above, and what the heritage of the Almighty from on high?

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

3Is not calamity for the unrighteous? and misfortune for the workers of iniquity?

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

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

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

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

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

6(Let me be weighed in an even balance, andGod will take knowledge of my blamelessness;)

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 step have turned out of the way, and my heart followed mine eyes, and if any blot cleaveth to my hands;

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

8Let me sow, and another eat; and let mine offspring be rooted out.

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

9If my heart have been enticed unto a woman, so that I laid wait at my neighbour's door,

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

10Let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down upon her.

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

11For this is an infamy; yea, it is an iniquity [to be judged by] the judges:

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

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

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

13If I have despised the cause of my bondman or of my bondmaid, when they contended with me,

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

14What then should I do whenGod riseth up? and if he visited, what should I answer him?

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

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

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

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

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

17Or have eaten my morsel alone, so that the fatherless ate not thereof,

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 from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, and I have guided the [widow] from my mother's womb;)

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

19If I have seen any perishing for want of clothing, or any needy without covering;

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

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

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

21If I have lifted up my hand against an orphan, because I saw my help in the gate:

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

22[Then] let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone!

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

23For calamity fromGod was a terror to me, and by reason of his excellency I was powerless.

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

24If I have made gold my hope, or said to the fine gold, My confidence!

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

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

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

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

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

27And my heart have been secretly enticed, so that my mouth kissed my hand:

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

28This also would be an iniquity for the judge, for I should have denied theGod who is above.

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

29If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, and exulted when evil befell him;

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

30(Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse;)

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 said not, Who shall find one that hath not been satisfied with his meat? —

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

32The stranger did not lodge without; I opened my doors to the pathway.

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

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

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.

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, ...

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

35Oh that I had one to hear me! Behold my signature: let the Almighty answer me! And let mine opponent write an accusation!

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

36Would I not take it upon my shoulder? I would bind it on to me [as] a crown;

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

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

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

38If my land cry out against me, and its furrows weep together;

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

39If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, and have tormented to death the souls of its owners:

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

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