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

I made a covenant with mine eyes; and how should I fix my regard upon a maid?

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

For what would have been portion of +God from above, and what the heritage of the Almighty from on high?

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

Is not calamity for the unrighteous? and misfortune for the workers of iniquity?

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

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

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

If I have walked with falsehood, and 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, and +God will take knowledge of my blamelessness;)

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 have turned out of the way, and my heart followed mine eyes, and if any blot cleaveth to my hands;

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

Let me sow, and another eat; and let mine 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 my heart have been enticed unto a woman, so that I laid wait at my neighbour's door,

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

Let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down upon her.

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

For this is an infamy; yea, it is an iniquity 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 have despised the cause of my bondman or of my bondmaid, 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 should I do when God riseth up? and if he visited, what should 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 desire, or 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 alone, so that the fatherless ate not 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 grew up with me as with a father, and I have guided the 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 perishing for want of clothing, or any needy 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 lambs;

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 an orphan, because I saw my help in the gate:

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

let my shoulder fall from the 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 calamity from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his excellency I was powerless.

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 said to the fine gold, 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 my 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 shone, 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 have been secretly enticed, so that my mouth kissed my hand:

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

This also would be an iniquity for the judge, for I should have denied the God who 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, and exulted when evil befell 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 asking his life with a curse;)

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 tent said not, Who shall find one that hath not been satisfied with his meat?—

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

The stranger did not lodge without; I opened my doors to the pathway.

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.

Because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so 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 I had one to hear me! Behold my signature: let the Almighty answer me! And let mine opponent write an accusation!

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

Would I not take it upon my shoulder? I would bind it on to me a crown;

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 come near to him.

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

If my land cry out against me, and its furrows weep together;

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, and have tormented to death the souls of its owners:

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 tares instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.