1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
Why then should I
1 look upon a
a young woman?
‡
2 For what
is the
a allotment of God from above,
And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
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3 Is it not destruction for the wicked,
And disaster for the workers of iniquity?
4 a Does He not see my ways,
And count all my steps?
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5 “If I have walked with falsehood,
Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,
6 1 Let me be weighed on honest scales,
That God may know my
a integrity.
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7 If my step has turned from the way,
Or
a my heart walked after my eyes,
Or if any spot adheres to my hands,
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8 Then a let me sow, and another eat;
Yes, let my harvest be
1 rooted out.
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9 “If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
Or
if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
10 Then let my wife grind for
a another,
And let others bow down over her.
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11 For that
would be wickedness;
Yes,
a it
would be iniquity
deserving of judgment.
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12 For that
would be a fire
that consumes to destruction,
And would root out all my increase.
13 “If I have
a despised the cause of my male or female servant
When they complained against me,
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14 What then shall I do when
a God rises up?
When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
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15 a Did not He who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?
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16 “If I have kept the poor from
their desire,
Or caused the eyes of the widow to
a fail,
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17 Or eaten my morsel by myself,
So that the fatherless could not eat of it
18 (But from my youth I reared him as a father,
And from my mother’s womb I guided
1 the widow );
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19 If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
Or any poor
man without covering;
20 If his
1 heart has not
a blessed me,
And
if he was
not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
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21 If I have raised my hand
a against the fatherless,
When I saw I had help in the gate;
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22 Then let my arm fall from my shoulder,
Let my arm be torn from the socket.
23 For
a destruction
from God
is a terror to me,
And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.
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24 “If
a I have made gold my hope,
Or said to fine gold, ‘
You are my confidence’;
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25 a If I have rejoiced because my wealth
was great,
And because my hand had gained much;
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26 a If I have observed the
1 sun when it shines,
Or the moon moving
in brightness,
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27 So that my heart has been secretly enticed,
And my mouth has kissed my hand;
28 This also
would be an iniquity
deserving of judgment,
For I would have denied God
who is above.
29 “If
a I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me,
Or lifted myself up when evil found him
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30 a (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for a curse on his
1 soul);
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31 If the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’
32 a (
But no sojourner had to lodge in the street,
For I have opened my doors to the
1 traveler);
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33 If I have covered my transgressions
a as Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
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34 Because I feared the great
a multitude,
And dreaded the contempt of families,
So that I kept silence
And did not go out of the door—
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35 a Oh, that I had one to hear me!
Here is my mark.
Oh, b that the Almighty would answer me,
That my
1 Prosecutor had written a book!
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36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
And bind it on me
like a crown;
37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him.
38 “If my land cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together;
39 If
a I have eaten its fruit without money,
Or
b caused its owners to lose their lives;
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40 Then let
a thistles grow instead of wheat,
And weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.
‡
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
