Job 31:24-40

“I have not put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security.’ I have not celebrated my great wealth or the riches my hands had gained. I have not thought about worshiping the sun in its brightness nor admired the moon moving in glory so that my heart was pulled away from God. My hand has never offered the sun and moon a kiss of worship. If I had, these also would have been sins to be punished, because I would have been unfaithful to God. “I have not been happy when my enemies fell or laughed when they had trouble. I have not let my mouth sin by cursing my enemies’ life. The servants of my house have always said, ‘All have eaten what they want of Job’s food.’ No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street, because I always let travelers stay in my home. I have not hidden my sin as others do, secretly keeping my guilt to myself. I was not so afraid of the crowd that I kept quiet and stayed inside because I feared being hated by other families. (“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. I would wear the writing on my shoulder; I would put it on like a crown. I would explain to God every step I took, and I would come near to him like a prince.) “If my land cries out against me and its plowed rows are not wet with tears, if I have taken the land’s harvest without paying or have broken the spirit of those who worked the land, then let thorns come up instead of wheat, and let weeds come up instead of barley.” The words of Job are finished.