1 “ I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?

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

2 F or what is the allotment of God from above, And the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

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

3 I s it not destruction for the wicked, And disaster for the workers of iniquity?

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

4 D oes He not see my ways, And count all my steps?

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

5 “ If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has hastened to deceit,

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

6 L et me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity.

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

7 I f my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes, Or if any spot adheres to my hands,

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 T hen let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.

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

9 “ If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

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

10 T hen let my wife grind for another, And let others bow down over her.

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

11 F or that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.

For it a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;

12 F or that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, And would root out all my increase.

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

13 “ If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me,

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

14 W hat then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?

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

15 D id not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

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

16 “ If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

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

17 O r eaten my morsel by myself, So that the fatherless could not eat of it

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

18 ( But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother’s womb I guided the widow );

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

19 I f I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering;

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

20 I f his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

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

21 I f I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate;

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

22 T hen let my arm fall from my shoulder, Let my arm be torn from the socket.

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

23 F or destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure.

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

24 “ If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, ‘ You are my confidence’;

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

25 I f I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gained much;

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

26 I f I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness,

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

27 S o that my heart has been secretly enticed, And my mouth has kissed my hand;

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

28 T his also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above.

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

29 “ If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him

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

30 ( Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul);

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

31 I f the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who is there that has not been satisfied with his meat?’

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

32 ( But no sojourner had to lodge in the street, For I have opened my doors to the traveler );

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

33 I f I have covered my transgressions as Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

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

34 B ecause I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door—

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 O h, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book!

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

36 S urely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown;

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

37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.

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

38 “ If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;

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

39 I f I have eaten its fruit without money, Or caused its owners to lose their lives;

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

40 T hen let thistles grow instead of wheat, And weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

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