31
1 I made a brit (covenant) with mine eyes;
how then look I upon a betulah?
2 For what chelek of Eloah is there from above?
And what nachalah of Shaddai from on high?
3 Is not destruction to the wicked?
And a disaster to the poalei aven (workers of wrong)?
4 Doth not He see my derech,
and count all my steps?
5 If I have walked with shav (vanity, falsehood),
or if my regel hath hasted to mirmah (deceit),
6 Let me be weighed in scales of tzedek
that Eloah may know mine tom (integrity).
7 If my step hath turned out of the derech,
and mine lev walked after mine eyes,
and if any mum hath cleaved to mine hands,
8 Then let me sow, and let acher (another) eat;
yea, let my harvest be uprooted.
9 If mine lev have been deceived by an isha,
or if I have lurked at petach (doorway) of my re'a;
10 Then let my isha grind for another,
and let another kneel over her.
11 For this is a heinous crime;
yea, it is an avon to be brought before judges.
12 For it is an eish that consumeth to Abaddon,
and would root out all mine increase.
13 If I did despise the mishpat (cause) of my eved or of my amah,
when they contended with me,
14 What then shall I do when El riseth up?
And when He visiteth, what shall I answer Him?
15 Did not He that made me in the beten make them?
And did not Echad fashion us in the rechem?
16 If I have withheld the poor from their chefetz (desire),
or have caused the eyes of the almanah to grow weary,
17 Or have eaten my morsel myself alone,
and the yatom hath not eaten thereof;
18 (For from my youth he was brought up with me,
as with an av,
and I have guided her from beten immi;)
19 If I have seen any oved (one perishing) for want of clothing,
or any evyon (needy) without covering,
20 If his heart did not bless me for warming him
with the giz (fleece) of my sheep,
21 If I have lifted up my yad against the yatom,
when I saw my influence in the sha'ar (gate, court);
22 Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder,
and mine zero'a be broken from its socket.
23 For destruction from El was a pachad to me,
and by reason of His majesty I could not endure.
24 If I have made zahav my hope,
or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my security,
25 If I rejoice because my wealth was rav (great),
and because mine yad had gotten much,
26 If I beheld the ohr when it shined,
or the yarei'ach moving in splendor,
27 And my lev hath been secretly enticed,
or my mouth hath kissed my yad [in heathen worship];
28 This also were an avon to be punished by the judge;
for then I would have been unfaithful, denying El that is on high.
29 If I rejoice at the misfortune of him that hated me,
or gloated when rah found him,
30 Neither have I allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse to his nefesh.
31 Have the men of my ohel not said,
Where can we find one who has not been sated with his basar (meat)?
32 The stranger did not spend the night in the street,
but I opened my delet to the ger.
33 If I concealed my peysha like Adam,
by hiding mine avon in my heart,
34 Did I fear a great multitude,
or did the contempt of mishpekhot terrify me,
that I kept silence, and went not out of doors?
35 Oh that one would hear me!
See, my tav [signature], that Shaddai would answer me,
and that mine adversary had written a sefer [of indictment];
36 Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder,
and bind it to me like atarot (crowns).
37 I would declare unto Him the number of my steps;
like a nagid (prince) would I go near unto Him.
38 If my adamah cry against me,
or if the furrows had wept together,
39 If I have eaten the yield thereof without kesef (payment),
or have broken the nefesh of the tenants thereof,
40 Let thistles grow instead of chittim (wheat), and weed instead of barley.
The divrei Iyov are ended.