Job 31:1-40 NCV

[1] "But I made an agreement with my eyes not to look with desire at a girl. [2] What has God above promised for people? What has the Almighty planned from on high? [3] It is ruin for evil people and disaster for those who do wrong. [4] God sees my ways and counts every step I take. [5] "If I have been dishonest or lied to others, [6] then let God weigh me on honest scales. Then he will know I have done nothing wrong. [7] If I have turned away from doing what is right, or my heart has been led by my eyes to do wrong, or my hands have been made unclean, [8] then let other people eat what I have planted, and let my crops be plowed up. [9] "If I have desired another woman or have waited at my neighbor's door for his wife, [10] then let my wife grind another man's grain, and let other men have sexual relations with her. [11] That would be shameful, a sin to be punished. [12] It is like a fire that burns and destroys; all I have done would be plowed up. [13] "If I have been unfair to my male and female slaves when they had a complaint against me, [14] how could I tell God what I did? What will I answer when he asks me to explain what I've done? [15] God made me in my mother's womb, and he also made them; the same God formed both of us in our mothers' wombs. [16] "I have never refused the appeals of the poor or let widows give up hope while looking for help. [17] I have not kept my food to myself but have given it to the orphans. [18] Since I was young, I have been like a father to the orphans. From my birth I guided the widows. [19] I have not let anyone die for lack of clothes or let a needy person go without a coat. [20] That person's heart blessed me, because I warmed him with the wool of my sheep. [21] I have never hurt an orphan even when I knew I could win in court. [22] If I have, then let my arm fall off my shoulder and be broken at the joint. [23] I fear destruction from God, and I fear his majesty, so I could not do such things. [24] "I have not put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, 'You are my security.' [25] I have not celebrated my great wealth or the riches my hands had gained. [26] I have not thought about worshiping the sun in its brightness nor admired the moon moving in glory [27] so that my heart was pulled away from God. My hand has never offered the sun and moon a kiss of worship. [28] If I had, these also would have been sins to be punished, because I would have been unfaithful to God. [29] "I have not been happy when my enemies fell or laughed when they had trouble. [30] I have not let my mouth sin by cursing my enemies' life. [31] The servants of my house have always said, 'All have eaten what they want of Job's food.' [32] No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street, because I always let travelers stay in my home. [33] I have not hidden my sin as others do, secretly keeping my guilt to myself. [34] I was not so afraid of the crowd that I kept quiet and stayed inside because I feared being hated by other families. [35] ("How I wish a court would hear my case! Here I sign my name to show I have told the truth. Now let the Almighty answer me; let the one who accuses me write it down. [36] I would wear the writing on my shoulder; I would put it on like a crown. [37] I would explain to God every step I took, and I would come near to him like a prince.) [38] "If my land cries out against me and its plowed rows are not wet with tears, [39] if I have taken the land's harvest without paying or have broken the spirit of those who worked the land, [40] then let thorns come up instead of wheat, and let weeds come up instead of barley." The words of Job are finished.