Chapter 31

  A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what -- do I attend to a virgin?  

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  And what [is] the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?  

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  Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?  

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  Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?  

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  If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,  

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  He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.  

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  If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,  

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  Let me sow -- and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.  

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  If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,  

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  Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.  

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  For it [is] a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;  

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  For a fire it [is], to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,  

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  If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,  

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  Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?  

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  Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.  

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  If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,  

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  And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,  

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  (But from my youth He grew up with me as [with] a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.)  

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  If I see [any] perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,  

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  If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,  

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  If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in [him] the gate of my court,  

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  My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.  

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  For a dread unto me [is] calamity [from] God, And because of His excellency I am not able.  

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  If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, 'My trust,'  

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  If I rejoice because great [is] my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,  

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  If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,  

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  And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,  

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  It also [is] a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.  

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  If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,  

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  Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.  

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  If not -- say ye, O men of my tent, 'O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'  

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  In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.  

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  If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,  

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  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.  

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  Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.  

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  If not -- on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.  

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  The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.  

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  If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,  

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  If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,  

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  Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.  

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