Job 31

1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?

2 For what [is] the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

3 [Is] it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

4 Does He not see my ways, And count all my steps?

5 "If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,

6 Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity.

7 If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands,

8 [Then] let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.

9 "If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or [if] I have lurked at my neighbor's door,

10 [Then] let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her.

11 For that [would be] wickedness; Yes, it [would be] iniquity [deserving of] judgment.

12 For that [would be] a fire [that] consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase.

13 "If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me,

14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?

15 Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

16 "If I have kept the poor from [their] desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

17 Or eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it

18 (But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother's womb I guided [the widow);]

19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor [man] without covering;

20 If his heart has not blessed me, And [if] he was [not] warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

21 If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate;

22 [Then] let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket.

23 For destruction [from] God [is] a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

24 "If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, '[You are] my confidence';

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

26 If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving [in] brightness,

27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand;

28 This also [would be] an iniquity [deserving of] judgment, For I would have denied God [who is] above.

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

30 (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul);

31 If the men of my tent have not said, 'Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?'

32 ([But] no sojourner had to lodge in the street, [For] I have opened my doors to the traveler);

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

34 Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence [And] did not go out of the door --

35 Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. [Oh, that] the Almighty would answer me, [That] my Prosecutor had written a book!

36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, [And] bind it on me [like] a crown;

37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.

38 "If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;

39 If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives;

40 [Then] let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.