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

I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

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

For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

3 I s not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?

Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?

4 D oth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?

Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?

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

If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;

6 H e doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.

let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.

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

If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;

8 L et me sow -- and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.

then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.

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

If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;

10 G rind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.

then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

11 F or it a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;

For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

12 F or a fire it, to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,

For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.

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

If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;

14 T hen what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?

what then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

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

Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?

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

If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

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

or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;

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

(for from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;)

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

if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;

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

if his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

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

if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:

22 M y shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.

then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.

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

For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.

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

If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

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

if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;

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

if I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

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

and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:

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

this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

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

If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:

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

neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.

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

If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.

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

The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.

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

If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:

34 B ecause I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.

did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?

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

Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

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

Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.

37 T he number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.

I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.

38 I f against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,

If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;

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

if I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

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

let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.