1
|
"I made an agreement with my eyes not to look at a young woman in a way that would make me want her. |
2
|
What does God above have for us? How does God All-Powerful repay people from his home high in heaven? |
3
|
He sends trouble to the wicked and disaster to those who do wrong. |
4
|
God is the one who knows what I do and sees every step I take. |
5
|
"I have not lied to anyone. I never tried to cheat people. |
6
|
If God would use accurate scales, he would know that I am innocent. |
7
|
If I ever stepped off the right path, if my eyes led my heart to do evil, or if my hands are dirty with sin, |
8
|
then let others eat what I planted. Let my crops be pulled up by the roots. |
9
|
"If I have desired another woman or waited at my neighbor's door to sin with his wife, |
10
|
then let my wife serve someone else, and let other men sleep with her. |
11
|
To do such a thing would be shameful, a sin that must be punished. |
12
|
Such sin is like a fire that burns until it destroys everything. It would completely ruin my life's work. |
13
|
"If I refused to be fair to my slaves when they had a complaint against me, |
14
|
then what will I do when I must face God? What will I say when he asks me to explain what I did? |
15
|
The one who made me in my mother's womb also made them. God shaped us all inside our mothers. |
16
|
"I have never refused to help the poor. I always gave widows what they needed. |
17
|
I have never been selfish with my food. I shared what I had with orphans. |
18
|
All my life I have been like a father to orphans and have taken care of widows. |
19
|
Whenever I found people suffering because they didn't have clothes or saw a poor man with no coat, |
20
|
I always gave them something to wear. I used the wool from my own sheep to make them warm. And they thanked me with all their heart. |
21
|
I never threatened an orphan, even when I knew I had support in court. |
22
|
If I ever did that, may my arm be pulled from its socket and fall from my shoulder! |
23
|
But I didn't do any of these bad things. I fear God's punishment too much. His majesty scares me. |
24
|
"I have never trusted in riches. I never said even to pure gold, 'You are my hope.' |
25
|
I have been wealthy, but that didn't make me proud. I earned a lot of money, but that is not what made me happy. |
26
|
I have never worshiped the bright sun or the beautiful moon. |
27
|
I was never foolish enough to worship the sun and the moon. |
28
|
This is also a sin that must be punished. If I had worshiped them, I would have been unfaithful to God All-Powerful. |
29
|
"I have never been happy when my enemies were destroyed. I have never laughed at my enemies when bad things happened to them. |
30
|
I have never let my mouth sin by cursing my enemies and wishing for them to die. |
31
|
The people in my house know that I have never let anyone go hungry. |
32
|
I always invited strangers into my home so they would not have to sleep in the streets. |
33
|
I have not tried to hide my sins as some people do. I have never hidden my guilt. |
34
|
I was never so afraid of what people might say or of making enemies that I kept my sins secret and avoided going out. |
35
|
"How I wish someone would listen to me! I will sign my name to all I have said. Now let God All-Powerful answer me. Let him make a list of what he thinks I did wrong. |
36
|
I would wear it around my neck. I would put it on my head like a crown. |
37
|
Then I could explain everything I have done. I could come to God with my head held high like a prince. |
38
|
"I did not use my land in a wrong way. I never caused it to suffer. |
39
|
I always paid the workers for the food I got from the land. I never let any of them starve. |
40
|
If I ever did any of these bad things, let thorns and weeds grow in my fields instead of wheat and barley!" Job's words are finished. |
Job 31:16 English Language Bible Words basic statistical display
COMING SOON ...