Job 31
31
1I have made a solemn promise
never to look with lust at a woman.
2What does Almighty God do to us?
How does he repay human deeds?
3He sends disaster and ruin
to those who do wrong.
4God knows everything I do;
he sees every step I take.
5I swear I have never acted wickedly
and never tried to deceive others.
6Let God weigh me on honest scales,
and he will see how innocent I am.
7If I have turned from the right path
or let myself be attracted to evil,
if my hands are stained with sin,
8then let my crops be destroyed,
or let others eat the food I grow.
9If I have been attracted to my neighbour's wife,
and waited, hidden, outside her door,
10then let my wife cook another man's food
and sleep in another man's bed.
11Such wickedness should be punished by death.
12It would be like a destructive, hellish fire,
consuming everything I have.
13When any of my servants complained against me,
I would listen and treat them fairly.
14If I did not, how could I then face God?
What could I say when God came to judge me?
15The same God who created me
created my servants also.
16I have never refused to help the poor;
never have I let widows live in despair
17or let orphans go hungry while I ate.
18All my life I have taken care of them.#31.18 All my life… them; Hebrew unclear.
19When I found someone in need,
too poor to buy clothes,
20I would give him clothing made of wool
that had come from my own flock of sheep.
Then he would praise me with all his heart.
21If I have ever cheated an orphan,
knowing I could win in court,
22then may my arms be broken;
may they be torn from my shoulders.
23Because I fear God's punishment,
I could never do such a thing.
24I have never trusted in riches
25or taken pride in my wealth.
26I have never worshipped the sun in its brightness
or the moon in all its beauty.
27I have not been led astray to honour them
by kissing my hand in reverence to them.
28Such a sin should be punished by death;
it denies Almighty God.
29I have never been glad when my enemies suffered,
or pleased when they met with disaster;
30I never sinned by praying for their death.
31All those who work for me know
that I have always welcomed strangers.
32I invited travellers into my home
and never let them sleep in the streets.
33Others try to hide their sins,
but I have never concealed mine.
34I have never feared what people would say;
I have never kept quiet or stayed indoors
because I feared their scorn.
35Will no one listen to what I am saying?
I swear that every word is true.
Let Almighty God answer me.
If the charges my opponent brings against me
were written down so that I could see them,
36I would wear them proudly on my shoulder
and place them on my head like a crown.
37I would tell God everything I have done,
and hold my head high in his presence.
38If I have stolen the land I farm
and taken it from its rightful owners —
39if I have eaten the food that grew there
but let the farmers that grew it starve —
40then instead of wheat and barley,
may weeds and thistles grow.
The words of Job are ended.
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Job 31: GNBDC
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.