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 those who do this?
What has God All-Powerful on high planned for them?
3It is ruin for the evil people.
It is disaster for those who do wrong.
4God sees my ways,
and he counts every step I take.
5“I have not been a dishonest person.
I have not lied to others.
6Let God weigh me on honest scales.
Then he will know I have done nothing wrong.
7I have not turned away from doing what is right.
My heart has not been led by my eyes to do wrong.
My hands have not been made unclean.
8If I have done these things, then let other people eat what I have planted.
And let my crops be plowed up.
9“I have not desired another woman.
I have never waited at my neighbor’s door to commit adultery with his wife.
10If I have done these things, then let my wife grind another man’s grain.
And let other men have physical relations with her.
11Sexual sin is shameful.
It is a sin which must be punished.
12It is like a fire that burns and destroys forever.
It would destroy all I have.
13“I have been fair to my male and female slaves
when they had a complaint against me.
14If I have not, how could I tell God what I did?
What will I answer when God 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 anything the poor wanted.
I have never let widows give up hope while looking for help.
17I have not kept my food to myself.
I have also given it to the orphans.
18Since I was young, I have been like a father to the orphans.
And from my birth I guided the widows.
19I have not let a person die because he had no clothes.
I have not let a needy person go without a coat.
20That person’s heart blessed me.
This was 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.
Let it be broken at the joint.
23This is because I dread destruction from God.
I could not do such things because I fear his majesty.
24“I have not put my trust in gold.
I have not said to pure gold, ‘You are my safety.’
25I have not celebrated my great wealth.
I have not celebrated that my hands had gained riches.
26I have not thought about worshiping the sun in its brightness.
I have not 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.
I would have been unfaithful to God if I had done these things.
29“I have not been happy when my enemy was ruined.
I have not laughed when he had trouble.
30I have not let my mouth sin
by cursing my enemy’s life.
31The men of my house have always said,
‘Everyone has eaten all he wants of Job’s food.’
32No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street.
I always let the traveler stay in my home.
33I have not hidden my sin as other men do.
I did not hide my guilt in my heart.
34I was not so afraid of the crowd.
I did not keep quiet and stay 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 God All-Powerful answer me.
Let the one who is against me write down what he accuses me of.
36I would surely wear the writing on my shoulder.
I would put it on like a crown.
37I would explain to God every step I took.
I would come near to God like a prince.)
38“My land did not cry out against me.
Its plowed rows were not wet with tears.
39I did not take the land’s harvest without paying.
I did not break the spirit of those who took care of the land.
40If I did, then let thorns come up instead of wheat.
And let weeds come up instead of barley.”
The words of Job are finished.
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Job 31: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
