31:1 A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what -- do I attend to a virgin? |
31:2 And what `is' the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights? |
31:3 Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity? |
31:4 Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number? |
31:5 If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit, |
31:6 He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity. |
31:7 If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish, |
31:8 Let me sow -- and another eat, And my products let be rooted out. |
31:9 If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait, |
31:10 Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend. |
31:11 For it `is' a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity; |
31:12 For a fire it `is', to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root, |
31:13 If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me, |
31:14 Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him? |
31:15 Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One. |
31:16 If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume, |
31:17 And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it, |
31:18 (But from my youth He grew up with me as `with' a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.) |
31:19 If I see `any' perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy, |
31:20 If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself, |
31:21 If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in `him' the gate of my court, |
31:22 My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken. |
31:23 For a dread unto me `is' calamity `from' God, And because of His excellency I am not able. |
31:24 If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, `My trust,' |
31:25 If I rejoice because great `is' my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found, |
31:26 If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking, |
31:27 And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth, |
31:28 It also `is' a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above. |
31:29 If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him, |
31:30 Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life. |
31:31 If not -- say ye, O men of my tent, `O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.' |
31:32 In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open. |
31:33 If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity, |
31:34 Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening. |
31:35 Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written. |
31:36 If not -- on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself. |
31:37 The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him. |
31:38 If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep, |
31:39 If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out, |
31:40 Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished. |