Chapter 31

Job Asserts His Integrity

1 “I have made a covenant with my aeyes;

How then could I gaze at a virgin?

2 “And what is athe portion of God from above

Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high?

3 “Is it not acalamity to the unjust

And disaster to bthose who work iniquity?

4 “Does He not asee my ways

And bnumber all my steps?

5 “If I have awalked with falsehood,

And my foot has hastened after deceit,

6 Let Him aweigh me with 1accurate scales,

And let God know bmy integrity.

7 “If my step has aturned from the way,

Or my heart 1followed my eyes,

Or if any bspot has stuck to my hands,

8 Let me asow and another eat,

And let my 1bcrops be uprooted.

9 “If my heart has been aenticed by a woman,

Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,

10 May my wife agrind for another,

And let bothers 1kneel down over her.

11 “For that would be a alustful crime;

Moreover, it would be ban iniquity punishable by judges.

12 “For it would be afire that consumes to 1bAbaddon,

And would cuproot all my 2increase.

13 “If I have adespised the claim of my male or female slaves

When they filed a complaint against me,

14 What then could I do when God arises?

And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?

15 “Did not aHe who made me in the womb make him,

And the same one fashion us in the womb?

16 “If I have kept athe poor from their desire,

Or have caused the eyes of bthe widow to fail,

17 Or have aeaten my morsel alone,

And bthe orphan has not 1shared it

18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,

And from 1infancy I guided her),

19 If I have seen anyone perish afor lack of clothing,

Or that bthe needy had no covering,

20 If his loins have not 1thanked me,

And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

21 If I have lifted up my hand against athe orphan,

Because I saw 1I had support bin the gate,

22 Let my shoulder fall from the 1socket,

And my aarm be broken off 2at the elbow.

23 “For acalamity from God is a terror to me,

And because of bHis 1majesty I can do nothing.

24 “If I have put my confidence in agold,

And called fine gold my trust,

25 If I have agloated because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had secured so much;

26 If I have alooked at the 1sun when it shone

Or the moon going in splendor,

27 And my heart became secretly enticed,

And my hand 1threw a kiss from my mouth,

28 That too would have been aan iniquity calling for 1judgment,

For I would have bdenied God above.

29 “Have I arejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,

Or 1exulted when evil befell him?

30 “1No, aI have not 2allowed my mouth to sin

By asking for his life in ba curse.

31 “Have the men of my tent not said,

‘Who can 1find one who has not been asatisfied with his meat’?

32 “The alien has not lodged outside,

For I have opened my doors to the 1traveler.

33 “Have I acovered my transgressions like 1Adam,

By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

34 Because I afeared the great multitude,

And the contempt of families terrified me,

And kept silent and did not go out of doors?

35 “Oh that I had one to hear me!

Behold, here is my 1signature;

aLet the Almighty answer me!

And the indictment which my badversary has written,

36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,

I would bind it to myself like a crown.

37 “I would declare to Him athe number of my steps;

Like ba prince I would approach Him.

38 “If my aland cries out against me,

And its furrows weep together;

39 If I have aeaten its 1fruit without money,

Or have bcaused 2its owners to lose their lives,

40 Let abriars 1grow instead of wheat,

And stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.