Job 31
Contemporary English Version
Job Continues
I Promised Myself
31 I promised myself
never to stare with desire
at a young woman.
2 God All-Powerful punishes
men who do that.
3 In fact, God sends disaster
on all who sin,
4 and he keeps a close watch
on everything I do.
5 I am not dishonest or deceitful,
6 and I beg God to prove
my innocence.
7 If I have disobeyed him
or even wanted to,
8 then others can eat my harvest
and uproot my crops.
9 If I have desired someone's wife
and chased after her,
10 then let some stranger
steal my wife from me.
11 If I took someone's wife,
it would be a horrible crime,
12 sending me to destruction
and my crops to the flames.[a]
13 When my servants
complained against me,
I was fair to them.
14 Otherwise, what answer
would I give to God
when he judges me?
15 After all, God is the one
who gave life to each of us
before we were born.
I Have Never Cheated Anyone
16 (A) I have never cheated widows
or others in need,
17 and I have always shared
my food with orphans.
18 Since the time I was young,
I have cared for orphans
and helped widows.[b]
19 I provided clothes for the poor,
20 and I was praised
for supplying woolen garments
to keep them warm.
21 If I have ever raised my arm
to threaten an orphan
when the power was mine,
22 I hope that arm will fall
from its socket.
23 I could not have been abusive;
I was terrified at the thought
that God might punish me.
24 (B) I have never trusted
the power of wealth,
25 or taken pride in owning
many possessions.
* 26 I have never openly or secretly
27 worshiped the sun or moon.
28 Such horrible sins
would have deserved
punishment from God.
29 I have never laughed
when my enemies
were struck by disaster.
30 Neither have I sinned
by asking God
to send down on them
the curse of death.
31 No one ever went hungry[c]
at my house,
32 and travelers
were always welcome.
33 Many have attempted to hide
their sins from others—
but I refused.
34 And the fear of public disgrace
never forced me to keep silent
about what I had done.
Why Doesn't God Listen?
35 Why doesn't God All-Powerful
listen and answer?
If God has something against me,
let him speak up
or put it in writing!
36 Then I would wear his charges
on my clothes and forehead.
37 And with my head held high,
I would tell him everything
I have ever done.
38 I have never mistreated
the land I farmed
and made it mourn.[d]
39 Nor have I cheated
my workers
and caused them pain.[e]
40 If I had, I would pray
for weeds instead of wheat
to grow in my fields.
After saying these things,
Job was silent.
Footnotes
- 31.12 flames: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
- 31.18 widows: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18.
- 31.31 ever went hungry: Or “was ever sexually abused” (see Genesis 19.1-11; Judges 17.22-30). In ancient Israel, the lives of one's guests were sacred and had to be protected at any cost.
- 31.38 mourn: In biblical times there were strict regulations for proper use of the land, and land that was abused was said to “mourn” and become no longer productive.
- 31.39 pain: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 39.
Job 31
English Standard Version
Job's Final Appeal
31 “I have made a covenant with my (A)eyes;
how then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 What would be (B)my portion from God above
and (C)my heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 (D)Does not he see my ways
and (E)number all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood
and my foot has hastened to deceit;
6 (Let me be (F)weighed in a just balance,
and let God know my integrity!)
7 if my step has turned aside from the way
and (G)my heart has gone after my eyes,
and if any (H)spot has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me (I)sow, and another eat,
and let what grows for me[a] be rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
and I have (J)lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
10 then let my wife (K)grind for another,
and let others (L)bow down on her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime;
that would be an iniquity (M)to be punished by the judges;
12 for that would be a fire (N)that consumes as far as Abaddon,
and it would burn to the root all my increase.
13 “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
when they brought a complaint against me,
14 what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he (O)makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15 Did (P)not he who made me in the womb make him?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have (Q)withheld anything that the poor desired,
or have (R)caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone,
and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (for from my youth the fatherless[b] grew up with me as with a father,
and from my mother's womb I guided the widow[c]),
19 if I have seen anyone (S)perish for (T)lack of clothing,
or the needy without (U)covering,
20 if his body has not (V)blessed me,[d]
and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have raised my hand against (W)the fatherless,
because I saw my help in (X)the gate,
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23 For I was (Y)in terror of calamity from God,
and I could not have faced his (Z)majesty.
24 (AA)“If I have made gold my (AB)trust
or called (AC)fine gold my confidence,
25 if I have (AD)rejoiced because my wealth was abundant
or because (AE)my hand had found much,
26 (AF)if I have looked at the sun[e] when it shone,
or (AG)the moon moving in splendor,
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed,
and my mouth has kissed my hand,
28 this also would be (AH)an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
for I would have been false to God above.
29 “If I have (AI)rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
or exulted when evil overtook him
30 ((AJ)I have not let my mouth sin
by asking for his life with a curse),
31 if the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who is there that has not been filled with his (AK)meat?’
32 ((AL)the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
I have opened my doors to the traveler),
33 if I (AM)have concealed my transgressions (AN)as others do[f]
by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34 because I stood in great fear of (AO)the multitude,
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
35 Oh, that I had one to hear me!
(Here is my signature! Let the Almighty (AP)answer me!)
Oh, that I had (AQ)the indictment written by my adversary!
36 Surely I would carry it on my (AR)shoulder;
I would (AS)bind it on me as (AT)a crown;
37 I would give him an account of all my steps;
like a prince I would approach him.
38 “If my land has cried out against me
and its furrows have wept together,
39 (AU)if I have eaten its yield without payment
and made its owners (AV)breathe their last,
40 let (AW)thorns grow instead of wheat,
and foul weeds instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.
约伯记 31
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
約伯雖然受苦仍守道不渝
31 “我與自己的眼睛立了約,
決不注視處女。
2 從至上的 神所得的分,
從至高的全能者所得的業是甚麼呢?
3 災難不是臨到不義的人嗎?
災禍不是臨到作孽的人嗎?
4 神不是察看我的道路,
數算我的一切腳步嗎?
5 我若與虛謊同行,
我的腳若急於追隨詭詐,
6 就願我被公平的天平稱度,
使 神可以知道我的完全。
7 我的腳步若偏離正道,
我的心若隨從眼目而行,
我的手掌若黏有任何污點,
8 就願我所種的,讓別人來吃,
願我田中出產的,都連根拔起來。
9 我的心若被女人迷惑,
在別人的門口埋伏,
10 就願我的妻子作別人的奴僕,
也願別人屈身與她行淫,
11 因為這是大惡,是該受審判的罪孽;
12 這是焚燒直至毀滅的火,
必把我所有的收穫都拔出來。
13 我的僕婢與我爭論的時候,
我若輕視他們的案件,
14 神若起來,我怎麼辦呢?
他若鑒察,我怎樣回答呢?
15 那造我在母腹中的,不也造他嗎?
造我們在母胎裡的,不是同一位嗎?
16 我若不給窮人所要的,
或使寡婦的眼所期待的落空;
17 我若獨吃我的一點食物,
孤兒卻沒有與我同吃;
18 自我幼年時,孤兒與我一同長大,
以我為父,
從我出母腹以來,我就善待寡婦。
19 我若見人因無衣服死亡,
或貧窮人毫無遮蓋;
20 他若不因我的羊毛得溫暖,
他的心若不向我道謝;
21 我若在城門見有支持我的,
就揮手攻擊孤兒,
22 就願我的肩頭從肩胛脫落,
願我的前臂從上臂折斷;
23 因為 神所降的災難使我恐懼,
因他的崇高我不敢妄為。
24 我若以黃金為我所信靠的,
又對精金說:‘你是我所靠賴的’;
25 我若因為財物豐裕,
或因為我多獲財利而歡喜;
26 我若見太陽(“太陽”直譯是“光”)照耀,
或明月行在空中,
27 以致心中暗暗地受到迷惑,
用自己的嘴親手;
28 那麼這也就是該受審判的罪孽,
因為我欺哄了高高在上的 神。
29 我若因恨我的人遭災禍而歡喜,
或因他遇患難而高興;
30 我並沒有容許我的口犯罪,
咒詛他的性命。
31 我家裡的人若沒有說:
‘誰能找出哪一個沒有飽吃他的肉食的呢?’
32 旅客沒有在街上過夜,
我的門向過路的人是敞開的。
33 我若像亞當遮掩我的過犯,
把我的罪孽藏在懷中,
34 因為我懼怕群眾,
宗族的藐視又使我驚恐,
以致我靜默不言,足不出門。
35 但願有一位肯聽我的,
看哪!這是我所劃的押,
願全能者回答我,
願那與我爭訟的寫好狀詞。
36 我定要把它帶到我的肩上,
綁在我的頭上為冠冕。
37 我要向他述說全部的行為,
又像王子一般進到他面前。
38 我的田地若呼冤控告我,
地的犁溝若都一同哀哭;
39 我若吃地裡的出產而不給價銀,
或使地主氣絕身亡,
40 就願蒺藜長出來代替小麥,
臭草代替大麥。”
約伯的話說完了。
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