Job 31:13–40

¹³If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me, ¹⁴Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him? ¹⁵Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.

¹⁶If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume, ¹⁷And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it, ¹⁸(But from my youth He grew up with me as with a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.) ¹⁹If I see any perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy, ²⁰If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself, ²¹If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in him the gate of my court, ²²My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken. ²³For a dread unto me is calamity from God, And because of His excellency I am not able.

²⁴If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, ‘My trust,’ ²⁵If I rejoice because great is my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found, ²⁶If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking, ²⁷And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth, ²⁸It also is a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above. ²⁹If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him, ³⁰Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life. ³¹If not—say ye, O men of my tent, ‘O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.’ ³²In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.

³³If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity, 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. ³⁵Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written. ³⁶If not—on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself. ³⁷The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him. ³⁸If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep, ³⁹If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out, ⁴⁰Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.

Chapter 32