1
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"I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman. |
2
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For what has God above chosen for us? What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high? |
3
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Isn't it calamity for the wicked and misfortune for those who do evil? |
4
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Doesn't he see everything I do and every step I take? |
5
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"Have I lied to anyone or deceived anyone? |
6
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Let God weigh me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity. |
7
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If I have strayed from his pathway, or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen, or if I am guilty of any other sin, |
8
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then let someone else eat the crops I have planted. Let all that I have planted be uprooted. |
9
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"If my heart has been seduced by a woman, or if I have lusted for my neighbor's wife, |
10
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then let my wife belong to another man; let other men sleep with her. |
11
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For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. |
12
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It is a fire that burns all the way to hell. It would wipe out everything I own. |
13
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"If I have been unfair to my male or female servants when they brought their complaints to me, |
14
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how could I face God? What could I say when he questioned me? |
15
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For God created both me and my servants. He created us both in the womb. |
16
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"Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows? |
17
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Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with orphans? |
18
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No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father, and all my life I have cared for widows. |
19
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Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes and the needy with nothing to wear, |
20
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did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm? |
21
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"If I raised my hand against an orphan, knowing the judges would take my side, |
22
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then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! Let my arm be torn from its socket! |
23
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That would be better than facing God's judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there? |
24
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"Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold? |
25
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Have I gloated about my wealth and all that I own? |
26
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"Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway, |
27
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and been secretly enticed in my heart to throw kisses at them in worship? |
28
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If so, I should be punished by the judges, for it would mean I had denied the God of heaven. |
29
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"Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies, or become excited when harm came their way? |
30
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No, I have never sinned by cursing anyone or by asking for revenge. |
31
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"My servants have never said, 'He let others go hungry.' |
32
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I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone. |
33
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"Have I tried to hide my sins like other people do, concealing my guilt in my heart? |
34
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Have I feared the crowd or the contempt of the masses, so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors? |
35
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"If only someone would listen to me! Look, I will sign my name to my defense. Let the Almighty answer me. Let my accuser write out the charges against me. |
36
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I would face the accusation proudly. I would wear it like a crown. |
37
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For I would tell him exactly what I have done. I would come before him like a prince. |
38
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"If my land accuses me and all its furrows cry out together, |
39
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or if I have stolen its crops or murdered its owners, |
40
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then let thistles grow on that land instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley." Job's words are ended. |
Job 31:1 English Language Bible Words basic statistical display
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