Job 31-32

Job 31

¹I made an agreement with my eyes; how then might my eyes be looking on a virgin?

²For what is God's reward from on high, or the heritage given by the Ruler of all from heaven?

³Is it not trouble for the sinner, and destruction for the evil-doers?

⁴Does he not see my ways, and are not my steps all numbered?

⁵If I have gone in false ways, or my foot has been quick in working deceit;

⁶(Let me be measured in upright scales, and let God see my righteousness:)

⁷If my steps have been turned out of the way, or if my heart went after my eyes, or if the property of another is in my hands;

⁸Let me put seed in the earth for another to have the fruit of it, and let my produce be uprooted.

⁹If my heart went after another man's wife, or if I was waiting secretly at my neighbour's door;

¹⁰Then let my wife give pleasure to another man and let others make use of her body.

¹¹For that would be a crime; it would be an act for which punishment would be measured out by the judges:

¹²It would be a fire burning even to destruction, and taking away all my produce.

¹³If I did wrong in the cause of my man-servant, or my woman-servant, when they went to law with me;

¹⁴What then will I do when God comes as my judge? and what answer may I give to his questions?

¹⁵Did not God make him as well as me? did he not give us life in our mothers' bodies?

¹⁶If I kept back the desire of the poor; if the widow's eye was looking for help to no purpose;

¹⁷If I kept my food for myself, and did not give some of it to the child with no father;

¹⁸(For I was cared for by God as by a father from my earliest days; he was my guide from the body of my mother;)

¹⁹If I saw one near to death for need of clothing, and that the poor had nothing covering him;

²⁰If his back did not give me a blessing, and the wool of my sheep did not make him warm;

²¹If my hand had been lifted up against him who had done no wrong, when I saw that I was supported by the judges;

²²May my arm be pulled from my body, and be broken from its base.

²³For the fear of God kept me back, and because of his power I might not do such things.

²⁴If I made gold my hope, or if I ever said to the best gold, I have put my faith in you;

²⁵If I was glad because my wealth was great, and because my hand had got together a great store;

²⁶If, when I saw the sun shining, and the moon moving on its bright way,

²⁷A secret feeling of worship came into my heart, and my hand gave kisses from my mouth;

²⁸That would have been another sin to be rewarded with punishment by the judges; for I would have been false to God on high.

²⁹If I was glad at the trouble of my hater, and gave cries of joy when evil overtook him;

³⁰(For I did not let my mouth give way to sin, in putting a curse on his life;)

³¹If the men of my tent did not say, Who has not had full measure of his meat?

³²The traveller did not take his night's rest in the street, and my doors were open to anyone on a journey;

³³If I kept my evil doings covered, and my sin in the secret of my breast,

³⁴For fear of the great body of people, or for fear that families might make sport of me, so that I kept quiet, and did not go out of my door;

³⁵If only God would give ear to me, and the Ruler of all would give me an answer! or if what he has against me had been put in writing!

³⁶Truly I would take up the book in my hands; it would be to me as a crown;

³⁷I would make clear the number of my steps, I would put it before him like a prince! The words of Job are ended.

³⁸If my land has made an outcry against me, or the ploughed earth has been in sorrow;

³⁹If I have taken its produce without payment, causing the death of its owners;

⁴⁰Then in place of grain let thorns come up, and in place of barley evil-smelling plants.

Job 32

¹So these three men gave no more answers to Job, because he seemed to himself to be right.

²And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was angry, burning with wrath against Job, because he seemed to himself more right than God;

³And he was angry with his three friends, because they had been unable to give him an answer, and had not made Job's sin clear.

⁴Now Elihu had kept quiet while Job was talking, because they were older than he;

⁵And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, he was very angry.

⁶And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, made answer and said, I am young, and you are very old, so I was in fear, and kept myself from putting my knowledge before you.

⁷I said to myself, It is right for the old to say what is in their minds, and for those who are far on in years to give out wisdom.

⁸But truly it is the spirit in man, even the breath of the Ruler of all, which gives them knowledge.

⁹It is not the old who are wise, and those who are full of years have not the knowledge of what is right.

¹⁰So I say, Give ear to me, and I will put forward my knowledge.

¹¹I was waiting for your words, I was giving ear to your wise sayings; while you were searching out what to say,

¹²I was taking note; and truly not one of you was able to make clear Job's error, or to give an answer to his words.

¹³Take care that you do not say, Wisdom is here; God may overcome him, but not man.

¹⁴I will not put forward words like these, or make use of your sayings in answer to him.

¹⁵Fear has overcome them, they have no more answers to give; they have come to an end of words.

¹⁶And am I to go on waiting while they have nothing to say? while they keep quiet and give no more answers?

¹⁷I will give my answer; I will put forward my knowledge:

¹⁸For I am full of words, I am unable to keep in my breath any longer:

¹⁹My stomach is like wine which is unable to get out; like skins full of new wine, it is almost burst.

²⁰Let me say what is in my mind, so that I may get comfort; let me give answer with open mouth.

²¹Let me not give respect to any man, or give names of honour to any living.

²²For I am not able to give names of honour to any man; and if I did, my Maker would quickly take me away.