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