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Job Continues

I Promised Myself

31 I promised myself
never to stare with desire
    at a young woman.
God All-Powerful punishes
    men who do that.
In fact, God sends disaster
    on all who sin,
and he keeps a close watch
    on everything I do.

I am not dishonest or deceitful,
and I beg God to prove
    my innocence.
If I have disobeyed him
    or even wanted to,
then others can eat my harvest
    and uproot my crops.
If I have desired someone's wife
    and chased after her,
10 then let some stranger
    steal my wife from me.
11 If I took someone's wife,
    it would be a horrible crime,
12 sending me to destruction
    and my crops to the flames.[a]

13 When my servants
complained against me,
    I was fair to them.
14 Otherwise, what answer
would I give to God
    when he judges me?
15 After all, God is the one
who gave life to each of us
    before we were born.

I Have Never Cheated Anyone

16 (A) I have never cheated widows
    or others in need,
17 and I have always shared
    my food with orphans.
18 Since the time I was young,
I have cared for orphans
    and helped widows.[b]
19 I provided clothes for the poor,
20     and I was praised
for supplying woolen garments
    to keep them warm.
21 If I have ever raised my arm
to threaten an orphan
    when the power was mine,
22 I hope that arm will fall
    from its socket.
23 I could not have been abusive;
I was terrified at the thought
    that God might punish me.
24 (B) I have never trusted
    the power of wealth,
25 or taken pride in owning
    many possessions.
* 26 I have never openly or secretly
27     worshiped the sun or moon.
28 Such horrible sins
would have deserved
    punishment from God.

29 I have never laughed
when my enemies
    were struck by disaster.
30 Neither have I sinned
    by asking God
to send down on them
    the curse of death.
31 No one ever went hungry[c]
    at my house,
32 and travelers
    were always welcome.
33 Many have attempted to hide
their sins from others—
    but I refused.
34 And the fear of public disgrace
never forced me to keep silent
    about what I had done.

Why Doesn't God Listen?

35 Why doesn't God All-Powerful
    listen and answer?
If God has something against me,
let him speak up
    or put it in writing!
36 Then I would wear his charges
    on my clothes and forehead.
37 And with my head held high,
I would tell him everything
    I have ever done.

38 I have never mistreated
the land I farmed
    and made it mourn.[d]
39 Nor have I cheated
my workers
    and caused them pain.[e]
40 If I had, I would pray
for weeds instead of wheat
    to grow in my fields.
After saying these things,
    Job was silent.

Footnotes

  1. 31.12 flames: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 12.
  2. 31.18 widows: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18.
  3. 31.31 ever went hungry: Or “was ever sexually abused” (see Genesis 19.1-11; Judges 17.22-30). In ancient Israel, the lives of one's guests were sacred and had to be protected at any cost.
  4. 31.38 mourn: In biblical times there were strict regulations for proper use of the land, and land that was abused was said to “mourn” and become no longer productive.
  5. 31.39 pain: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 39.

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