Job 31:1–33:33
“I made a covenant with my eyesi
not to look lustfully at a young woman.j
2 For what is our lotk from God above,
our heritage from the Almighty on high?l
3 Is it not ruinm for the wicked,
disastern for those who do wrong?o
4 Does he not see my waysp
and count my every step?q
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceitr—
6 let God weigh mes in honest scalest
and he will know that I am blamelessu—
7 if my steps have turned from the path,v
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my handsw have been defiled,x
8 then may others eat what I have sown,y
and may my crops be uprooted.z
9 “If my heart has been enticeda by a woman,b
or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grindc another man’s grain,
and may other men sleep with her.d
11 For that would have been wicked,e
a sin to be judged.f
12 It is a fireg that burns to Destructiona;h
it would have uprooted my harvest.i
13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,j
whether male or female,
when they had a grievance against me,k
14 what will I do when God confronts me?l
What will I answer when called to account?m
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?n
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?o
16 “If I have denied the desires of the poorp
or let the eyes of the widowq grow weary,r
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherlesss—
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
and from my birth I guided the widowt—
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,u
or the needyv without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless mew
for warming them with the fleecex from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,y
knowing that I had influence in court,z
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.a
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,b
and for fear of his splendorc I could not do such things.d
24 “If I have put my trust in golde
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’f
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,g
the fortune my hands had gained,h
26 if I have regarded the suni in its radiance
or the moonj moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticedk
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,l
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,m
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.n
29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortuneo
or gloated over the trouble that came to himp—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against their lifeq—
31 if those of my household have never said,
‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’r—
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the travelers—
33 if I have concealedt my sin as people do,b
by hidingu my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowdv
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silentw and would not go outside—
35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!x
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accusery put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,z
I would put it on like a crown.a
37 I would give him an account of my every step;b
I would present it to him as to a ruler.c)—
38 “if my land cries out against med
and all its furrows are wete with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without paymentf
or broken the spirit of its tenants,g
40 then let briersh come up instead of wheat
and stinkweedi instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.j
32 So these three men stopped answering Job,k because he was righteous in his own eyes.l 2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite,m of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himselfn rather than God.o 3 He was also angry with the three friends,p because they had found no way to refute Job,q and yet had condemned him.a r 4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he.s 5 But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.
6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said:
“I am young in years,
and you are old;t
that is why I was fearful,
not daring to tell you what I know.
7 I thought, ‘Age should speak;
advanced years should teach wisdom.’u
8 But it is the spiritb v in a person,
the breath of the Almighty,w that gives them understanding.x
9 It is not only the oldc who are wise,y
not only the agedz who understand what is right.a
10 “Therefore I say: Listen to me;b
I too will tell you what I know.c
I listened to your reasoning;
while you were searching for words,
12 I gave you my full attention.
But not one of you has proved Job wrong;
none of you has answered his arguments.d
13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom;e
let God, not a man, refutef him.’
14 But Job has not marshaled his words against me,g
and I will not answer him with your arguments.
15 “They are dismayed and have no more to say;
words have failed them.h
16 Must I wait, now that they are silent,
now that they stand there with no reply?
I too will tell what I know.i
and the spiritj within me compels me;k
19 inside I am like bottled-up wine,
like new wineskins ready to burst.l
20 I must speak and find relief;
I must open my lips and reply.m
21 I will show no partiality,n
nor will I flatter anyone;o
22 for if I were skilled in flattery,
my Makerp would soon take me away.q
33 “But now, Job, listenr to my words;
pay attention to everything I say.s
2 I am about to open my mouth;
my words are on the tip of my tongue.
3 My words come from an upright heart;t
my lips sincerely speak what I know.u
4 The Spiritv of God has made me;w
the breath of the Almightyx gives me life.y
5 Answer mez then, if you can;
stand upa and argue your case before me.b
6 I am the same as you in God’s sight;c
I too am a piece of clay.d
7 No fear of me should alarm you,
nor should my hand be heavy on you.e
8 “But you have said in my hearing—
I heard the very words—
9 ‘I am pure,f I have done no wrong;g
I am clean and free from sin.h
10 Yet God has found fault with me;
he considers me his enemy.i
11 He fastens my feet in shackles;j
he keeps close watch on all my paths.’k
12 “But I tell you, in this you are not right,
for God is greater than any mortal.l
13 Why do you complain to himm
that he responds to no one’s wordsa?n
14 For God does speako—now one way, now anotherp—
though no one perceives it.q
15 In a dream,r in a visions of the night,t
when deep sleepu falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
16 he may speakv in their ears
and terrify themw with warnings,x
17 to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,y
18 to preserve them from the pit,z
their lives from perishing by the sword.b a
19 “Or someone may be chastenedb on a bed of painc
with constant distress in their bones,d
20 so that their body finds foode repulsive
and their soul loathes the choicest meal.f
21 Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
and their bones,g once hidden, now stick out.h
22 They draw near to the pit,i
and their life to the messengers of death.c j
23 Yet if there is an angel at their side,
a messenger,k one out of a thousand,
sent to tell them how to be upright,l
24 and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
‘Spare them from going down to the pit;m
I have found a ransom for themn—
25 let their flesh be renewedo like a child’s;
let them be restored as in the days of their youth’p—
26 then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,q
they will see God’s face and shout for joy;r
he will restore them to full well-being.s
27 And they will go to others and say,
‘I have sinned,t I have perverted what is right,u
but I did not get what I deserved.v
28 God has deliveredw me from going down to the pit,x
and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’y
29 “God does all these things to a personz—
twice, even three timesa—
30 to turn them backb from the pit,c
that the light of lifed may shine on them.e
31 “Pay attention, Job, and listenf to me;g
be silent,h and I will speak.
32 If you have anything to say, answer me;i
speak up, for I want to vindicate you.j
33 But if not, then listen to me;k