Job 31, side by side

¹“I made a covenant with my eyes, how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?

¹I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

²For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from the Almighty on high?

²For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

³Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?

³Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?

⁴Doesn’t he see my ways, and count all my steps?

⁴Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?

⁵“If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit

⁵If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;

⁶(let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity);

⁶Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity.

⁷if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands,

⁷If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;

⁸then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

⁸Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.

⁹“If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door,

⁹If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;

¹⁰then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.

¹⁰Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

¹¹For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;

¹¹For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.

¹²for it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.

¹²For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.

¹³“If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me,

¹³If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;

¹⁴what then will I do when God rises up? When he visits, what will I answer him?

¹⁴What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?

¹⁵Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him? Didn’t one fashion us in the womb?

¹⁵Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?

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

¹⁶If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;

¹⁷or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it

¹⁷Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;

¹⁸(no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, I have guided her from my mother’s womb);

¹⁸(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;)

¹⁹if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;

¹⁹If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;

²⁰if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;

²⁰If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not 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,

²¹If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:

²²then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.

²²Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.

²³For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because of his majesty, I can do nothing.

²³For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.

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

²⁴If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

²⁵If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;

²⁵If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;

²⁶if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,

²⁶If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

²⁷and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

²⁷And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:

²⁸this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges; for I should have denied the God who is above.

²⁸This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

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

²⁹If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:

³⁰(yes, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);

³⁰Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.

³¹if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’

³¹If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.

³²(the foreigner has not camped in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);

³²The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.

³³if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,

³³If I covered my transgressions as Adam, 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 didn’t go out of the door—

³⁴Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?

³⁵oh that I had one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me! Let the accuser write my indictment!

³⁵Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; and I would bind it to me as a crown.

³⁶Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.

³⁷I would declare to him the number of my steps. as a prince would I go near to him.

³⁷I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.

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

³⁸If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;

³⁹if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,

³⁹If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:

⁴⁰let briers grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

⁴⁰Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.