“I have cut a covenant with my aeyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
2 And what is athe portion of God from above
Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3 Is it not adisaster to the unjust
And misfortune to bthose who work iniquity?
4 Does He not asee my ways
And bnumber all my steps?
5 “If I have awalked with worthlessness,
And my foot has hastened after deceit,
6 Let Him aweigh me with just scales,
And let God know bmy integrity.
7 If my step has aturned from the way,
Or my heart followed my eyes,
Or if any bspot has stuck to my hands,
8 Let me asow and another eat,
And let my bcrops be uprooted.
9 “If my heart has been aenticed by a woman,
Or I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 May my wife agrind for another,
And let bothers kneel down over her.
11 For that would be alewdness;
Moreover, it would be ban iniquity punishable by judges.
12 For it would be afire that consumes to bAbaddon,
And would cuproot all my produce.
13 “If I have arejected the justice of my male or female 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 aHe who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have held back athe poor from their desire,
Or have caused the eyes of bthe widow to fail,
17 Or have aeaten my morsel alone,
And bthe 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 afor lack of clothing,
Or that bthe 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 athe orphan
Because I saw my help bin the gate,
22 Let my shoulder fall from the socket,
And my aarm be broken off at the elbow.
23 For adisaster from God is a dread to me,
And because of bHis exaltedness I can do nothing.
24 “If I have put my confidence in agold,
And called fine gold my trust,
25 If I have abeen glad because my wealth was great,
And because my hand had found so much,
26 If I have alooked at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
27 And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 That too would have been aan iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have bdenied God above.
29 “If I ahave been glad at the upheaval of the one who hated me,
Or exulted when evil found him—
30 But aI have not given over my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in ba curse—
31 If the men of my tent have not said,
‘Who can find one who has not been asatisfied with his meat’—
32 The sojourner has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the traveler—
33 If I have acovered my transgressions like Adam,
By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34 Because I afeared 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 signature;
aLet the Almighty answer me!
And the indictment which my baccuser 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 athe number of my steps;
Like ba prince I would approach Him—
38 “If my aland cries out against me,
And its furrows weep together,
39 If I have aeaten its fruit without money,
Or have bcaused its owners to lose their lives,
40 Let abriars come out instead of wheat,
And stinkweed instead of barley.”
The words of Job are ended.