Job 31-32
International Standard Version
Job Asserts His Moral Innocence
31 “I made a covenant with my eyes;
how, then, can I focus my attention on a virgin?
2 What would I have[a] from God above,
what heritage from the Almighty on high,
3 if not calamity that is due the unjust,
and misfortune that is due those who practice iniquity?
4 He watches my life,
observing every one of my actions,[b] does he not?”
No Lies and Deception
5 “If I’ve lived my life in the company of vanity,
or run quickly to embrace deception,
6 let my righteousness be weighed in honest scales,
and God will make known my integrity.
7 If I have stepped away from the way,
or if my heart covets whatever my eyes see,
or if some other blemish clings to my hands,
8 what I’ve planted, let another eat
or let my crops be uprooted.”
No Adultery
9 “If my heart has been seduced by a woman
and I’ve laid in wait at my friend’s door,
10 then let my wife cook[c] for another person
and may someone else sleep with her,
11 because something as lascivious as that
is an iniquity that should be judged.
12 The fires of Abaddon[d] will burn,[e]
disrupting every part of my eternal reward.”[f]
No Abuse of Servants
13 “If I’ve refused to help my male and female servants
when they complain against me,
14 what will I do when God stands up to act?
When he asks the questions, how will I answer him?
15 The one who made me in the womb made them,[g] too, didn’t he?
Didn’t the same one prepare each of us in the womb?”
No Injustice on the Poor
16 “If I refused to grant the desire of the poor
or exhausted the eyes of the widow,
17 if I ate my meals by myself
without feeding orphans,
18 (even a poor man had grown up with me as if I were his father,
and even though I had guided the widow[h]
from the time I was born),
19 if I’ve observed someone who is about to die for lack of clothes
or if I have no clothing to give to the poor,
20 if he hadn’t thanked me from the bottom of his heart,[i]
if he had not been warmed by wool from my sheep,
21 if I’ve raised my hand against an orphan
when I thought I would against him in court,[j]
22 then let my arm[k] fall from its socket;
and may my arm be torn off at the shoulder.
23 For I’m terrified of what calamity God may have in store for me;
and I cannot endure his grandeur.”
No Trust in Wealth and Heavenly Bodies
24 “If I’ve put my confidence in gold,
if I’ve told gold, ‘You’re my security,’
25 if I’ve found joy in great wealth that I own,
if I’ve earned a lot with my own hands,
26 if I look at the sun[l] when it shines
or the moon as it rises in steady splendor,
27 so that in the depths of my deceived heart
I worshipped them with my mouth and hands,
28 this is also a sin that deserves to be judged,
since I would have tried to deceive[m] God above.”
No Rejoicing over the Plight of Adversary
29 “Have I rejoiced in the destruction of those who hate me,
or have I been happy that evil caught up with him?
30 No, I haven’t allowed my mouth to sin
by asking for his life[n] with a curse.
31 People in my household have said,
‘We cannot find anyone who has not been satisfied with his meat,’ haven’t they?
32 No stranger ever spent the night in the street,
because I opened my doors to travelers.”
No Secret Sins
33 “Have I covered my transgression like other people,
to conceal iniquity within myself?[o]
34 Have I feared large crowds?
Has my family’s contempt ever terrified me
so that I remained silent and wouldn’t go outside?”
Request for A Hearing
35 “Who will grant me a hearing?
Here’s my signature[p]—let the Almighty answer!
Since my adversary indicted me,
36 I’ll wear it on my shoulder,
or tie it on my head for a crown!
37 I’ll give an account for every step I’ve taken;
I’ll approach him confidently like a Commander-in-Chief.”[q]
No Abuse of the Land
38 “If my land were to cry out against me
or if all its furrows wept as one,
39 If I’ve consumed its produce[r] without paying for it
and snuffed out the life of its owners;
40 may thorns spring up instead of wheat,
and obnoxious weeds instead of barley.”
With this, Job’s discourse with his friends[s] is completed.
Elihu Addresses Job and His Friends
32 These three men stopped responding to Job, because he was claiming to be righteous, in his own opinion.[t] 2 But then Barachel’s son Elihu from Buz, one of Ram’s descendants, got really angry. He was furious with Job because he had been declaring himself righteous instead of vindicating God. 3 Furthermore, he was furious with his three friends because they had not answered Job, but instead had condemned him. 4 Elihu waited to have a word with Job, since the others were older than he, 5 but when he saw that there had been no response[u] from those three, he got even more angry. 6 Barachel’s son Elihu from Buz responded and said:
“I’m younger than you are.
Because you’re older,[v] I was terrified
to tell you what I know.
7 I thought, experience[w] should speak;
abundance of years teaches wisdom.
8 However, a spirit exists in mankind,
and the Almighty’s breath gives him insight.”
There’s No Fool Like an Old Fool
9 “The aged aren’t always wise,
nor do the elderly always understand justice.
10 Therefore I’m saying, ‘Listen to me!’
Then I’ll declare what I know.
11 “Look! I have waited to hear your speech,
so I listened to your insights
while you searched for the right words to say.[x]
12 Indeed, I paid close attention to you all,
but none of you were able to refute[y] Job
or answer his arguments convincingly.
13 “So that you cannot claim, ‘We have found wisdom!’
let God do the rebuking, not man;
14 let him not direct a rebuke toward me.
I won’t be responding to him with your arguments.
15 “Job’s friends[z] won’t reason with him anymore;
discouraged, words escape them.
16 Shall I continue to wait, since they’re no longer talking?
After all, they’re only standing there;
they’re no longer responding.
17 “I will contribute my arguments[aa] as an answer;
I’ll declare what I know,
18 because I’m filled with things to say,
and my spirit within me compels me to speak.[ab]
19 My insides feel like unvented wine,
like it’s about to burst like a new wineskin.
20 “Let me speak! I need relief!
Let me open my lips and respond.
21 I won’t discriminate against anyone,
and I won’t flatter any person,
22 since I don’t know the first thing about how to flatter;
and the one who made me would sweep me away
as if I were nothing.”
Footnotes
- Job 31:2 The Heb. lacks would one have
- Job 31:4 Lit. steps
- Job 31:10 Lit. grind
- Job 31:12 Or Destruction; i.e. the realm of eternal punishment in the afterlife
- Job 31:12 Lit. consume
- Job 31:12 Lit. my harvest
- Job 31:15 Lit. him
- Job 31:18 Lit. her
- Job 31:20 Lit. hadn’t blessed me from his loins
- Job 31:21 Lit. when I saw help for me at the gate
- Job 31:22 Lit. side
- Job 31:26 Lit. light
- Job 31:28 Or have denied
- Job 31:30 Lit. soul
- Job 31:33 Or bosom
- Job 31:35 Lit. seal
- Job 31:37 Lit. Nagid; i.e. a senior officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and administrative authority
- Job 31:39 Lit. strength
- Job 31:40 The Heb. lacks with his friends
- Job 32:1 Lit. eyes
- Job 32:5 Lit. mouth
- Job 32:6 Lit. aged
- Job 32:7 Lit. days
- Job 32:11 The Heb. lacks to say
- Job 32:12 Or rebuke
- Job 32:15 Lit. They
- Job 32:17 Lit. portion
- Job 32:18 The Heb. lacks to speak
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
