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Job 31 :: New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20)

Job Asserts His Integrity

Job 31:1

“I have made a covenant with my eyes;

How then could I look at a virgin?

Job 31:2

“And what is the portion of God from above,

Or the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

Job 31:3

“Is it not disaster to the criminal,

And misfortune to those who practice injustice?

Job 31:4

“Does He not see my ways,

And count all my steps?

Job 31:5

“If I have walked with deception,

And my foot has hurried after deceit,

Job 31:6

Let Him weigh me with [fn]accurate scales,

And let God know my integrity.

Job 31:7

“If my step has turned from the way,

Or my heart [fn]followed my eyes,

Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,

Job 31:8

Let me sow and another eat,

And let my [fn]crops be uprooted.

Job 31:9

“If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,

Job 31:10

May my wife grind grain for another,

And let others [fn]kneel down over her.

Job 31:11

“For that would be a lustful crime;

Moreover, it would be wrongdoing punishable by judges.

Job 31:12

“For it would be fire that consumes to [fn]Abaddon,

And would uproot all my [fn]increase.

Job 31:13

“If I have rejected the claim of my male or female slaves

When they filed a complaint against me,

Job 31:14

What then could I do when God arises?

And when He calls me to account, how am I to answer Him?

Job 31:15

“Did He who made me in the womb not make him,

And the same One create us in the womb?

Job 31:16

“If I have kept the poor from their desire,

Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

Job 31:17

Or have eaten my morsel alone,

And the orphan has not [fn]shared it

Job 31:18

(But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father,

And from [fn]my infancy I guided her),

Job 31:19

If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,

Or that the needy had no covering,

Job 31:20

If his waist has not [fn]thanked me,

And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

Job 31:21

If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan,

Because I saw [fn]I had support in the gate,

Job 31:22

May my shoulder fall from its [fn]socket,

And my arm be broken off [fn]at the elbow.

Job 31:23

“For disaster from God is a terror to me,

And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

Job 31:24

“If I have put my confidence in gold,

And called fine gold my trust,

Job 31:25

If I have gloated because my wealth was great,

And because my hand had obtained so much;

Job 31:26

If I have looked at the [fn]sun when it shone,

Or the moon going in splendor,

Job 31:27

And my heart was secretly enticed,

And my hand [fn]threw a kiss from my mouth,

Job 31:28

That too would have been a guilty deed calling for [fn]judgment,

For I would have denied God above.

Job 31:29

“Have I rejoiced at the misfortune of my enemy,

Or become excited when evil found him?

Job 31:30

[fn]No, I have not [fn]allowed my mouth to sin

By asking for his life in a curse.

Job 31:31

“Have the people of my tent not said,

‘Who can [fn]find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’?

Job 31:32

“The stranger has not spent the night outside,

For I have opened my doors to the [fn]traveler.

Job 31:33

“Have I covered my wrongdoings like a man,

By hiding my guilt in my shirt pocket,

Job 31:34

Because I feared the great multitude

And the contempt of families terrified me,

And I kept silent and did not go out of doors?

Job 31:35

“Oh that I had one to hear me!

Here is my [fn]signature;

Let the Almighty answer me!

And the indictment which my adversary has written,

Job 31:36

I would certainly carry it on my shoulder,

I would tie it to myself like a garland.

Job 31:37

“I would declare to Him the number of my steps;

Like a prince, I would approach Him.

Job 31:38

“If my land cries out against me,

And its furrows weep together;

Job 31:39

If I have eaten its [fn]fruit without money,

Or have caused [fn]its owners to lose their lives,

Job 31:40

May the thorn-bush [fn]grow instead of wheat,

And stinkweed instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.

NASB20 Footnotes
Lit just
Lit walked after
Or offspring
I.e., have sexual relations with her
I.e., the place of destruction
Or yield
Lit eaten from it
Lit my mother’s womb
Lit blessed; i.e., for clothing
Lit my help
Lit neck-joint
Lit from the bone of the upper arm
Lit light
Lit kissed my mouth
Lit judges
Lit And
Lit given my palate
Lit give
MT way
Lit mark
Lit strength
Lit the soul of its owners to expire
Lit come forth
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Job Chapter 31 — Additional Translations: