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Job Asserts His Moral Innocence

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes;
    how, then, can I focus my attention on a virgin?
What would I have[a] from God above,
    what heritage from the Almighty on high,
if not calamity that is due the unjust,
    and misfortune that is due those who practice iniquity?
He watches my life,
    observing every one of my actions,[b] does he not?”

No Lies and Deception

“If I’ve lived my life in the company of vanity,
    or run quickly to embrace deception,
let my righteousness be weighed in honest scales,
    and God will make known my integrity.
If I have stepped away from the way,
    or if my heart covets whatever my eyes see,
        or if some other blemish clings to my hands,
what I’ve planted, let another eat
    or let my crops be uprooted.”

No Adultery

“If my heart has been seduced by a woman
    and I’ve laid in wait at my friend’s door,
10 then let my wife cook[c] for another person
    and may someone else sleep with her,
11 because something as lascivious as that
    is an iniquity that should be judged.
12 The fires of Abaddon[d] will burn,[e]
    disrupting every part of my eternal reward.”[f]

No Abuse of Servants

13 “If I’ve refused to help my male and female servants
    when they complain against me,
14 what will I do when God stands up to act?
    When he asks the questions, how will I answer him?
15 The one who made me in the womb made them,[g] too, didn’t he?
    Didn’t the same one prepare each of us in the womb?”

No Injustice on the Poor

16 “If I refused to grant the desire of the poor
    or exhausted the eyes of the widow,
17 if I ate my meals by myself
    without feeding orphans,
18 (even a poor man had grown up with me as if I were his father,
    and even though I had guided the widow[h]
        from the time I was born),
19 if I’ve observed someone who is about to die for lack of clothes
    or if I have no clothing to give to the poor,
20 if he hadn’t thanked me from the bottom of his heart,[i]
    if he had not been warmed by wool from my sheep,
21 if I’ve raised my hand against an orphan
    when I thought I would against him in court,[j]
22 then let my arm[k] fall from its socket;
    and may my arm be torn off at the shoulder.
23 For I’m terrified of what calamity God may have in store for me;
    and I cannot endure his grandeur.”

No Trust in Wealth and Heavenly Bodies

24 “If I’ve put my confidence in gold,
    if I’ve told gold, ‘You’re my security,’
25 if I’ve found joy in great wealth that I own,
    if I’ve earned a lot with my own hands,
26 if I look at the sun[l] when it shines
    or the moon as it rises in steady splendor,
27 so that in the depths of my deceived heart
    I worshipped them with my mouth and hands,
28 this is also a sin that deserves to be judged,
    since I would have tried to deceive[m] God above.”

No Rejoicing over the Plight of Adversary

29 “Have I rejoiced in the destruction of those who hate me,
    or have I been happy that evil caught up with him?
30 No, I haven’t allowed my mouth to sin
    by asking for his life[n] with a curse.
31 People in my household have said,
    ‘We cannot find anyone who has not been satisfied with his meat,’ haven’t they?
32 No stranger ever spent the night in the street,
    because I opened my doors to travelers.”

No Secret Sins

33 “Have I covered my transgression like other people,
    to conceal iniquity within myself?[o]
34 Have I feared large crowds?
    Has my family’s contempt ever terrified me
        so that I remained silent and wouldn’t go outside?”

Request for A Hearing

35 “Who will grant me a hearing?
    Here’s my signature[p]—let the Almighty answer!
Since my adversary indicted me,
36 I’ll wear it on my shoulder,
        or tie it on my head for a crown!
37 I’ll give an account for every step I’ve taken;
    I’ll approach him confidently like a Commander-in-Chief.”[q]

No Abuse of the Land

38 “If my land were to cry out against me
    or if all its furrows wept as one,
39 If I’ve consumed its produce[r] without paying for it
    and snuffed out the life of its owners;
40 may thorns spring up instead of wheat,
    and obnoxious weeds instead of barley.”

With this, Job’s discourse with his friends[s] is completed.

Footnotes

  1. Job 31:2 The Heb. lacks would one have
  2. Job 31:4 Lit. steps
  3. Job 31:10 Lit. grind
  4. Job 31:12 Or Destruction; i.e. the realm of eternal punishment in the afterlife
  5. Job 31:12 Lit. consume
  6. Job 31:12 Lit. my harvest
  7. Job 31:15 Lit. him
  8. Job 31:18 Lit. her
  9. Job 31:20 Lit. hadn’t blessed me from his loins
  10. Job 31:21 Lit. when I saw help for me at the gate
  11. Job 31:22 Lit. side
  12. Job 31:26 Lit. light
  13. Job 31:28 Or have denied
  14. Job 31:30 Lit. soul
  15. Job 31:33 Or bosom
  16. Job 31:35 Lit. seal
  17. Job 31:37 Lit. Nagid; i.e. a senior officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and administrative authority
  18. Job 31:39 Lit. strength
  19. Job 31:40 The Heb. lacks with his friends

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes(A)
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.(B)
For what is our lot(C) from God above,
    our heritage from the Almighty on high?(D)
Is it not ruin(E) for the wicked,
    disaster(F) for those who do wrong?(G)
Does he not see my ways(H)
    and count my every step?(I)

“If I have walked with falsehood
    or my foot has hurried after deceit(J)
let God weigh me(K) in honest scales(L)
    and he will know that I am blameless(M)
if my steps have turned from the path,(N)
    if my heart has been led by my eyes,
    or if my hands(O) have been defiled,(P)
then may others eat what I have sown,(Q)
    and may my crops be uprooted.(R)

“If my heart has been enticed(S) by a woman,(T)
    or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 then may my wife grind(U) another man’s grain,
    and may other men sleep with her.(V)
11 For that would have been wicked,(W)
    a sin to be judged.(X)
12 It is a fire(Y) that burns to Destruction[a];(Z)
    it would have uprooted my harvest.(AA)

13 “If I have denied justice to any of my servants,(AB)
    whether male or female,
    when they had a grievance against me,(AC)
14 what will I do when God confronts me?(AD)
    What will I answer when called to account?(AE)
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?(AF)
    Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?(AG)

16 “If I have denied the desires of the poor(AH)
    or let the eyes of the widow(AI) grow weary,(AJ)
17 if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless(AK)
18 but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow(AL)
19 if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,(AM)
    or the needy(AN) without garments,
20 and their hearts did not bless me(AO)
    for warming them with the fleece(AP) from my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,(AQ)
    knowing that I had influence in court,(AR)
22 then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
    let it be broken off at the joint.(AS)
23 For I dreaded destruction from God,(AT)
    and for fear of his splendor(AU) I could not do such things.(AV)

24 “If I have put my trust in gold(AW)
    or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’(AX)
25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,(AY)
    the fortune my hands had gained,(AZ)
26 if I have regarded the sun(BA) in its radiance
    or the moon(BB) moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed(BC)
    and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,(BD)
28 then these also would be sins to be judged,(BE)
    for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.(BF)

29 “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune(BG)
    or gloated over the trouble that came to him(BH)
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
    by invoking a curse against their life(BI)
31 if those of my household have never said,
    ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’(BJ)
32 but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
    for my door was always open to the traveler(BK)
33 if I have concealed(BL) my sin as people do,[b]
    by hiding(BM) my guilt in my heart
34 because I so feared the crowd(BN)
    and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
    that I kept silent(BO) and would not go outside—

35 (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!(BP)
    I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
    let my accuser(BQ) put his indictment in writing.
36 Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,(BR)
    I would put it on like a crown.(BS)
37 I would give him an account of my every step;(BT)
    I would present it to him as to a ruler.(BU))—

38 “if my land cries out against me(BV)
    and all its furrows are wet(BW) with tears,
39 if I have devoured its yield without payment(BX)
    or broken the spirit of its tenants,(BY)
40 then let briers(BZ) come up instead of wheat
    and stinkweed(CA) instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.(CB)

Footnotes

  1. Job 31:12 Hebrew Abaddon
  2. Job 31:33 Or as Adam did