Job 31

₁I have made a solemn promise

never to look with lust at a woman.

₂What does Almighty God do to us?

How does he repay human deeds?

₃He sends disaster and ruin

to those who do wrong.

₄God knows everything I do;

he sees every step I take.

₅I swear I have never acted wickedly

and never tried to deceive others.

₆Let God weigh me on honest scales,

and he will see how innocent I am.

₇If I have turned from the right path

or let myself be attracted to evil,

if my hands are stained with sin,

₈then let my crops be destroyed,

or let others eat the food I grow.

₉If I have been attracted to my neighbour's wife,

and waited, hidden, outside her door,

₁₀then let my wife cook another man's food

and sleep in another man's bed.

₁₁Such wickedness should be punished by death.

₁₂It would be like a destructive, hellish fire,

consuming everything I have.

₁₃When any of my servants complained against me,

I would listen and treat them fairly.

₁₄If I did not, how could I then face God?

What could I say when God came to judge me?

₁₅The same God who created me

created my servants also.

₁₆I have never refused to help the poor;

never have I let widows live in despair

₁₇or let orphans go hungry while I ate.

₁₈All my life I have taken care of them.

₁₉When I found someone in need,

too poor to buy clothes,

₂₀I would give him clothing made of wool

that had come from my own flock of sheep.

Then he would praise me with all his heart.

₂₁If I have ever cheated an orphan,

knowing I could win in court,

₂₂then may my arms be broken;

may they be torn from my shoulders.

₂₃Because I fear God's punishment,

I could never do such a thing.

₂₄I have never trusted in riches

₂₅or taken pride in my wealth.

₂₆I have never worshipped the sun in its brightness

or the moon in all its beauty.

₂₇I have not been led astray to honour them

by kissing my hand in reverence to them.

₂₈Such a sin should be punished by death;

it denies Almighty God.

₂₉I have never been glad when my enemies suffered,

or pleased when they met with disaster;

₃₀I never sinned by praying for their death.

₃₁All those who work for me know

that I have always welcomed strangers.

₃₂I invited travellers into my home

and never let them sleep in the streets.

₃₃Others try to hide their sins,

but I have never concealed mine.

₃₄I have never feared what people would say;

I have never kept quiet or stayed indoors

because I feared their scorn.

₃₅Will no one listen to what I am saying?

I swear that every word is true.

Let Almighty God answer me.

If the charges my opponent brings against me

were written down so that I could see them,

₃₆I would wear them proudly on my shoulder

and place them on my head like a crown.

₃₇I would tell God everything I have done,

and hold my head high in his presence.

₃₈If I have stolen the land I farm

and taken it from its rightful owners —

₃₉if I have eaten the food that grew there

but let the farmers that grew it starve —

₄₀then instead of wheat and barley,

may weeds and thistles grow.