Job 31:13–40

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

When they filed a complaint against me,

¹⁴What 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,

¹⁷Or 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),

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

Or that ^bthe needy had no covering,

²⁰If his loins have not ¹thanked me,

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

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

Because I saw ¹I had support ^bin the gate,

²²Let 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,

²⁵If I have ^agloated because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had secured so much;

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

Or the moon going in splendor,

²⁷And my heart became secretly enticed,

And my hand ¹threw a kiss from my mouth,

²⁸That 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,

³⁴Because 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,

³⁶Surely 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;

³⁹If I have ^aeaten its ¹fruit without money,

Or have ^bcaused ²its owners to lose their lives,

⁴⁰Let ^abriars ¹grow instead of wheat,

And stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.