Job 31
Legacy Standard Bible
31 “I have cut a covenant with my (A)eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 And what is (B)the portion of God from above
Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is it not (C)disaster to the unjust
And misfortune to (D)those who work iniquity?
4 Does He not (E)see my ways
And (F)number all my steps?
5 “If I have (G)walked with worthlessness,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
6 Let Him (H)weigh me with [a]just scales,
And let God know (I)my integrity.
7 If my step has (J)turned from the way,
Or my heart [b]followed my eyes,
Or if any (K)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me (L)sow and another eat,
And let my [c](M)crops be uprooted.
9 “If my heart has been (N)enticed by a woman,
Or I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife (O)grind for another,
And let (P)others [d]kneel down over her.
11 For that would be (Q)lewdness;
Moreover, it would be (R)an iniquity punishable by judges.
12 For it would be (S)fire that consumes to [e](T)Abaddon,
And would (U)uproot all my [f]produce.
13 “If I have (V)rejected the justice of my male or female [g]slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
14 What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, with what will I respond to Him?
15 Did not (W)He who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have held back (X)the poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of (Y)the widow to fail,
17 Or have (Z)eaten my morsel alone,
And (AA)the orphan has not eaten from it
18 (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,
And from the womb of my mother I guided her),
19 If I have seen anyone perish (AB)for lack of clothing,
Or that (AC)the needy had no covering,
20 If his loins have not blessed me,
And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 If I have waved my hand against (AD)the orphan
Because I saw my help (AE)in the gate,
22 Let my shoulder fall from the [h]socket,
And my (AF)arm be broken off [i]at the elbow.
23 For (AG)disaster from God is a dread to me,
And because of (AH)His exaltedness I can do nothing.
24 “If I have put my confidence in (AI)gold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have (AJ)been glad because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had found so much,
26 If I have (AK)looked at the [j]sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand [k]threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been (AL)an iniquity calling for [l]judgment,
For I would have (AM)denied God above.
29 “If I (AN)have been glad at the upheaval of the one who hated me,
Or [m]exulted when evil found him—
30 But (AO)I have not given over my [n]mouth to sin
By asking for his life in (AP)a curse—
31 If the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who can [o]find one who has not been (AQ)satisfied with his meat’—
32 The sojourner has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the [p]traveler—
33 If I have (AR)covered my transgressions like [q]Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34 Because I (AS)feared the great multitude,
And the contempt of families terrified me,
And I kept silent and did not go out of doors—
35 Oh that I had one to hear me!
Behold, here is my [r]signature;
(AT)Let the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my (AU)accuser has written,
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
I would bind it to myself like a crown.
37 I would declare to Him (AV)the number of my steps;
Like (AW)a prince I would approach Him—
38 “If my (AX)land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together,
39 If I have (AY)eaten its [s]fruit without money,
Or have (AZ)caused [t]its owners to lose their lives,
40 Let (BA)briars come out instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
Footnotes
- Job 31:6 Lit righteous; Job 8:3, 6; 29:14
- Job 31:7 Lit walked after
- Job 31:8 Or offspring
- Job 31:10 Sexual relations
- Job 31:12 Lit the realm of destruction
- Job 31:12 Or yield
- Job 31:13 Or servants, cf. Job 1:3
- Job 31:22 Or back; lit shoulder
- Job 31:22 Lit from the bone of the upper arm
- Job 31:26 Lit light
- Job 31:27 Lit kissed my mouth
- Job 31:28 Lit judges
- Job 31:29 Lit lifted myself up
- Job 31:30 Lit palate
- Job 31:31 Lit give
- Job 31:32 M.T. way
- Job 31:33 Or mankind
- Job 31:35 Lit mark
- Job 31:39 Lit strength
- Job 31:39 Lit the soul of its owners to expire
Job 31
International Children’s Bible
31 “But I made an agreement with my eyes
not to look with desire at a girl.
2 What has God above promised those who do this?
What has God All-Powerful on high planned for them?
3 It is ruin for the evil people.
It is disaster for those who do wrong.
4 God sees my ways,
and he counts every step I take.
5 “I have not been a dishonest person.
I have not lied to others.
6 Let God weigh me on honest scales.
Then he will know I have done nothing wrong.
7 I 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.
8 If 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.
10 If I have done these things, then let my wife grind another man’s grain.
And let other men have physical relations with her.
11 Sexual sin is shameful.
It is a sin which must be punished.
12 It 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.
14 If 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?
15 God 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.
17 I have not kept my food to myself.
I have also given it to the orphans.
18 Since I was young, I have been like a father to the orphans.
And from my birth I guided the widows.
19 I have not let a person die because he had no clothes.
I have not let a needy person go without a coat.
20 That person’s heart blessed me.
This was because I warmed him with the wool of my sheep.
21 I have never hurt an orphan
even when I knew I could win in court.
22 If I have, then let my arm fall off my shoulder.
Let it be broken at the joint.
23 This 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.’
25 I have not celebrated my great wealth.
I have not celebrated that my hands had gained riches.
26 I have not thought about worshiping the sun in its brightness.
I have not admired the moon moving in glory
27 so that my heart was pulled away from God.
My hand has never offered the sun and moon a kiss of worship.
28 If 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.
30 I have not let my mouth sin
by cursing my enemy’s life.
31 The men of my house have always said,
‘Everyone has eaten all he wants of Job’s food.’
32 No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street.
I always let the traveler stay in my home.
33 I have not hidden my sin as other men do.
I did not hide my guilt in my heart.
34 I 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.
36 I would surely wear the writing on my shoulder.
I would put it on like a crown.
37 I 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.
39 I did not take the land’s harvest without paying.
I did not break the spirit of those who took care of the land.
40 If I did, then let thorns come up instead of wheat.
And let weeds come up instead of barley.”
The words of Job are finished.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
