Chapter 31

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  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.  

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

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

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

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

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

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