Job 31:24-40

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Job 31:24-40 The Message (MSG)

“Did I set my heart on making big money or worship at the bank? Did I boast about my wealth, show off because I was well-off? Was I ever so awed by the sun’s brilliance and moved by the moon’s beauty That I let myself become seduced by them and worshiped them on the sly? If so, I would deserve the worst of punishments, for I would be betraying God himself. “Did I ever gloat over my enemy’s ruin? Or get excited over my rival’s bad luck? No, I never said a word of detraction, never cursed them, even under my breath. “Didn’t those who worked for me say, ‘He fed us well. There were always second helpings’? And no stranger ever had to spend a night in the street; my doors were always open to travelers. Did I hide my sin the way Adam did, or conceal my guilt behind closed doors Because I was afraid what people would say, fearing the gossip of the neighbors so much That I turned myself into a recluse? You know good and well that I didn’t. “Oh, if only someone would give me a hearing! I’ve signed my name to my defense—let the Almighty One answer! I want to see my indictment in writing. Anyone’s welcome to read my defense; I’ll write it on a poster and carry it around town. I’m prepared to account for every move I’ve ever made— to anyone and everyone, prince or pauper. “If the very ground that I farm accuses me, if even the furrows fill with tears from my abuse, If I’ve ever raped the earth for my own profit or dispossessed its rightful owners, Then curse it with thistles instead of wheat, curse it with weeds instead of barley.”

Job 31:24-40 King James Version (KJV)

If I have made gold my hope, Or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because mine hand had gotten much; If I beheld the sun when it shined, Or the moon walking in brightness; And my heart hath been secretly enticed, Or my mouth hath kissed my hand: This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: For I should have denied the God that is above. If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, Or lifted up myself when evil found him: Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin By wishing a curse to his soul. If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied. The stranger did not lodge in the street: But I opened my doors to the traveller. If I covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom: Did I fear a great multitude, Or did the contempt of families terrify me, That I kept silence, and went not out of the door? Oh that one would hear me! Behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, And that mine adversary had written a book. Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, And bind it as a crown to me. I would declare unto him the number of my steps; As a prince would I go near unto him. If my land cry against me, Or that the furrows likewise thereof complain; If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life: Let thistles grow instead of wheat, And cockle instead of barley.

Job 31:24-40 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

“If I have put my confidence in gold, And called fine gold my trust, If I have gloated because my wealth was great, And because my hand had secured so much; If I have looked at the sun when it shone Or the moon going in splendor, And my heart became secretly enticed, And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth, That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above. “Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy, Or exulted when evil befell him? No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for his life in a curse. Have the men of my tent not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’? The alien has not lodged outside, For I have opened my doors to the traveler. Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, And kept silent and did not go out of doors? Oh that I had one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature; Let the Almighty answer me! And the indictment which my adversary has written, Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, I would bind it to myself like a crown. I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him. “If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or have caused its owners to lose their lives, Let briars grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

Job 31:24-40 New Century Version (NCV)

“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.

Job 31:24-40 American Standard Version (ASV)

If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gotten much; If I have beheld the sun when it shined, Or the moon walking in brightness, And my heart hath been secretly enticed, And my mouth hath kissed my hand: This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges; For I should have denied the God that is above. If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, Or lifted up myself when evil found him (Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin By asking his life with a curse); If the men of my tent have not said, Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat? (The sojourner hath not lodged in the street; But I have opened my doors to the traveller); If like Adam I have covered my transgressions, By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom, Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door— Oh that I had one to hear me! (Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me) And that I had the indictment which mine adversary hath written! Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder; I would bind it unto me as a crown: I would declare unto him the number of my steps; As a prince would I go near unto him. If my land crieth out against me, And the furrows thereof weep together; If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life: Let thistles grow instead of wheat, And cockle instead of barley.

Job 31:24-40 New International Version (NIV)

“If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. “If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him— I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against their life— if those of my household have never said, ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’— but no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler— if I have concealed my sin as people do, by hiding my guilt in my heart because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside— (“Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing. Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown. I would give him an account of my every step; I would present it to him as to a ruler.)— “if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears, if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants, then let briers come up instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

Job 31:24-40 New King James Version (NKJV)

“If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’; If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much; If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness, So that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand; This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above. “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul); If the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’ (But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler); If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom, Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door— Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book! Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown; I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him. “If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together; If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives; Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

Job 31:24-40 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¶“If I have put my trust and confidence in gold, Or have declared fine gold my hope and assurance, If I gloated and rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my [powerful] hand [alone] had obtained so much, If I beheld the sun [as an object of worship] when it shone Or the moon going in its splendor, And my heart became secretly enticed [by them], And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth [in respect to them], This also would have been [a heinous] sin calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above. [Deut 4:19; 17:2-7] ¶“Have I rejoiced at the destruction of the enemy [who hated me], Or exulted [in malicious triumph] when evil overtook him? “No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin By cursing my enemy and asking for his life. “I assure you, the men of my tent have said, ‘Who can find one [in need] who has not been satisfied with his meat’? “The stranger has not lodged in the street, Because I have opened my door to the traveler. “Have I concealed my transgressions like Adam or like other men, By hiding my wickedness in my bosom, Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence and did not acknowledge my sin and did not go out of the door? “Oh, that I had one to listen to me! Look, here is my signature (mark); Let the Almighty answer me! Let my adversary write out His indictment [and put His vague accusations in tangible form]. “Surely I would [proudly] bear it on my shoulder, And bind the scroll around my head like a crown. “I would count out to Him the number of my steps [with every detail of my life], Approaching His presence as if I were a prince. ¶“For if my land has cried out against me, And its furrows weep together; If I have eaten its fruits without paying for them, Or have caused its [rightful] owners to lose their lives, Let thorns grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed and cockleburs instead of barley.” So the words of Job [with his friends] are finished.

Job 31:24-40 New Living Translation (NLT)

“Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold? Have I gloated about my wealth and all that I own? “Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway, and been secretly enticed in my heart to throw kisses at them in worship? If so, I should be punished by the judges, for it would mean I had denied the God of heaven. “Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies, or become excited when harm came their way? No, I have never sinned by cursing anyone or by asking for revenge. “My servants have never said, ‘He let others go hungry.’ I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone. “Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do, concealing my guilt in my heart? Have I feared the crowd or the contempt of the masses, so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors? “If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me. I would face the accusation proudly. I would wear it like a crown. For I would tell him exactly what I have done. I would come before him like a prince. “If my land accuses me and all its furrows cry out together, or if I have stolen its crops or murdered its owners, then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley.”

Job 31:24-40 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

“If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my confidence, if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant or because my hand had found much, if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor, and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand, this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have been false to God above. “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me, or exulted when evil overtook him (I have not let my mouth sin by asking for his life with a curse), if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’ (the sojourner has not lodged in the street; I have opened my doors to the traveler), if I have concealed my transgressions as others do by hiding my iniquity in my heart, because I stood in great fear of the multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors— Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!) Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary! Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; I would bind it on me as a crown; I would give him an account of all my steps; like a prince I would approach him. “If my land has cried out against me and its furrows have wept together, if I have eaten its yield without payment and made its owners breathe their last, let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley.”