Job 31
31
1“But I made an agreement with my eyes
not to look with desire at a girl.
2What has God above promised for people?
What has the Almighty planned from on high?
3It is ruin for evil people
and disaster for those who do wrong.
4God sees my ways
and counts every step I take.
5“If I have been dishonest
or lied to others,
6then let God weigh me on honest scales.
Then he will know I have done nothing wrong.
7If I have turned away from doing what is right,
or my heart has been led by my eyes to do wrong,
or my hands have been made unclean,
8then let other people eat what I have planted,
and let my crops be plowed up.
9“If I have desired another woman
or have waited at my neighbor’s door for his wife,
10then let my wife grind another man’s grain,
and let other men have sexual relations with her.
11That would be shameful,
a sin to be punished.
12It is like a fire that burns and destroys;
all I have done would be plowed up.
13“If I have been unfair to my male and female slaves
when they had a complaint against me,
14how could I tell God what I did?
What will I answer when he asks me to explain what I’ve done?
15God made me in my mother’s womb, and he also made them;
the same God formed both of us in our mothers’ wombs.
16“I have never refused the appeals of the poor
or let widows give up hope while looking for help.
17I have not kept my food to myself
but have given it to the orphans.
18Since I was young, I have been like a father to the orphans.
From my birth I guided the widows.
19I have not let anyone die for lack of clothes
or let a needy person go without a coat.
20That person’s heart blessed me,
because I warmed him with the wool of my sheep.
21I have never hurt an orphan
even when I knew I could win in court.
22If I have, then let my arm fall off my shoulder
and be broken at the joint.
23I fear destruction from God,
and I fear his majesty, so I could not do such things.
24“I have not put my trust in gold
or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security.’
25I have not celebrated my great wealth
or the riches my hands had gained.
26I have not thought about worshiping the sun in its brightness
nor admired the moon moving in glory
27so that my heart was pulled away from God.
My hand has never offered the sun and moon a kiss of worship.
28If I had, these also would have been sins to be punished,
because I would have been unfaithful to God.
29“I have not been happy when my enemies fell
or laughed when they had trouble.
30I have not let my mouth sin
by cursing my enemies’ life.
31The servants of my house have always said,
‘All have eaten what they want of Job’s food.’
32No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street,
because I always let travelers stay in my home.
33I have not hidden my sin as others do,
secretly keeping my guilt to myself.
34I was not so afraid of the crowd
that I kept quiet and stayed inside
because I feared being hated by other families.
35(“How I wish a court would hear my case!
Here I sign my name to show I have told the truth.
Now let the Almighty answer me;
let the one who accuses me write it down.
36I would wear the writing on my shoulder;
I would put it on like a crown.
37I would explain to God every step I took,
and I would come near to him like a prince.)
38“If my land cries out against me
and its plowed rows are not wet with tears,
39if I have taken the land’s harvest without paying
or have broken the spirit of those who worked the land,
40then let thorns come up instead of wheat,
and let weeds come up instead of barley.”
The words of Job are finished.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.