American Standard Version

Job 31

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¹I made a covenant with mine eyes; How then should I look upon a virgin? ²For what is the portion from God above, And the heritage from the Almighty on high? ³Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, And disaster to the workers of iniquity? ⁴Doth not he see my ways, And number all my steps? ⁵If I have walked with falsehood, And my foot hath hasted to deceit ⁶(Let me be weighed in an even balance, That God may know mine integrity); ⁷If my step hath turned out of the way, And my heart walked after mine eyes, And if any spot hath cleaved to my hands: ⁸Then let me sow, and let another eat; Yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out. ⁹If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, And I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door; ¹⁰Then let my wife grind unto another, And let others bow down upon her. ¹¹For that were a heinous crime; Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges: ¹²For it is a fire that consumeth unto Destruction, And would root out all mine increase. ¹³If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant, When they contended with me; ¹⁴What then shall I do when God riseth up? And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? ¹⁵Did not he that made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb? ¹⁶If I have withheld the poor fromtheirdesire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, ¹⁷Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof ¹⁸(Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And her have I guided from my mother’s womb); ¹⁹If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering; ²⁰If his loins have not blessed me, And if he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep; ²¹If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, Because I saw my help in the gate: ²²Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade, And mine arm be broken from the bone. ²³For calamity from God is a terror to me, And by reason of his majesty I can do nothing. ²⁴If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, Thou artmy confidence; ²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gotten much; ²⁶If I have beheld the sun when it shined, Or the moon walking in brightness, ²⁷And my heart hath been secretly enticed, And my mouth hath kissed my hand: ²⁸This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges; For I should have denied the God that is above. ²⁹If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, Or lifted up myself when evil found him ³⁰(Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin By asking his life with a curse); ³¹If the men of my tent have not said, Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat? ³²(The sojourner hath not lodged in the street; But I have opened my doors to the traveller); ³³If like Adam I have covered my transgressions, By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom, ³⁴Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door— ³⁵Oh that I had one to hear me! (Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me) Andthat I hadthe indictment which mine adversary hath written! ³⁶Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder; I would bind it unto me as a crown: ³⁷I would declare unto him the number of my steps; As a prince would I go near unto him. ³⁸If my land crieth out against me, And the furrows thereof weep together; ³⁹If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life: ⁴⁰Let thistles grow instead of wheat, And cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.