Job's Final Appeal
1I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
2For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
3Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
4Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
5If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;
6Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.
7If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;
8Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.
9If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour's door;
10Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.
11For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.
12For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.
13If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
14What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
15Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
16If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
17Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
18(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother's womb;)
19If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
20If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:
22Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.
23For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.
24If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
25If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;
26If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;
27And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:
28This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.
29If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:
30Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.
31If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.
32The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.
33If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:
34Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door?
35Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.
36Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.
37I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.
38If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;
39If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:
40Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Job’s Final Appeal
1 “I made a covenant with my eyes, how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?
2 For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?
4 Doesn’t he see my ways, and number all my steps?
5 “If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit
6 (let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity);
7 if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands,
8 then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.
9 “If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door,
10 then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges:
12 For it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.
13 “If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me;
14 What then shall I do when God rises up? When he visits, what shall I answer him?
15 Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him? Didn’t one fashion us in the womb?
16 “If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18 (no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, her have I guided from my mother’s womb);
19 if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;
20 if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;
21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate,
22 then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.
23 For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because his majesty, I can do nothing.
24 “If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are my confidence;’
25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;
26 if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,
27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges; for I should have denied the God who is above.
29 “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him;
30 (yes, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);
31 if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’
32 (the foreigner has not lodged in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);
33 if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,
34 because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn’t go out of the door—
35 oh that I had one to hear me! (behold, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me); let the accuser write my indictment!
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; and I would bind it to me as a crown.
37 I would declare to him the number of my steps. as a prince would I go near to him.
38 If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together;
39 if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,
40 let briars grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.
Job’s Final Appeal
1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes.
How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
2 For what is the allotment of God from above,
or the heritage from the Almighty on high?
3 Does not disaster come to the unjust
and calamity to the workers of iniquity?
4 Does He not see my ways
and count my every step?
5 If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has rushed to deceit,
6 let God weigh me with honest scales,
that He may know my integrity.
7 If my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has followed my eyes,
or if impurity has stuck to my hands,
8 then may another eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.
9 If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife,
or I have lurked at his door,
10 then may my own wife grind grain for another,
and may other men sleep with her.
11 For that would be a heinous crime,
an iniquity to be judged.
12 For it is a fire that burns down to Abaddon; a
it would root out my entire harvest.
13 If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant
when they made a complaint against me,
14 what will I do when God rises to judge?
How will I answer when called to account?
15 Did not He who made me in the womb also make them?
Did not the same One form us in the womb?
16 If I have denied the desires of the poor
or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
17 if I have eaten my morsel alone,
not sharing it with the fatherless—
18 though from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a cloak,
20 if his heart has not blessed me b
for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,
21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless
because I saw that I had support in the gate,
22 then may my arm fall from my shoulder
and be torn from its socket.
23 For calamity from God terrifies me,
and His splendor I cannot overpower.
24 If I have put my trust in gold
or called pure gold my security,
25 if I have rejoiced in my great wealth
because my hand had gained so much,
26 if I have beheld the sun c in its radiance
or the moon moving in splendor,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
28 this would also be an iniquity to be judged,
for I would have denied God on high.
29 If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin,
or exulted when evil befell him—
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by asking for his life with a curse—
31 if the men of my house have not said,
‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—
32 but no stranger had to lodge on the street,
for my door has been open to the traveler—
33 if I have covered my transgressions like Adam d
by hiding my guilt in my heart,
34 because I greatly feared the crowds
and the contempt of the clans terrified me,
so that I kept silent
and would not go outside—
35 (Oh, that I had one to hear me!
Here is my signature.
Let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser compose an indictment.
36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder
and wear it like a crown.
37 I would give account of all my steps;
I would approach Him like a prince.)—
38 if my land cries out against me
and its furrows weep together,
39 if I have devoured its produce without payment
or broken the spirit of its tenants,
40 then let briers grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed instead of barley.”
Thus conclude the words of Job.
Footnotes:
12 a Abaddon means Destruction .
20 b Hebrew if his loins have not blessed me
26 c Hebrew the light
33 d Or like men
Job's Final Appeal
1A covenant I made for mine eyes, And what -- do I attend to a virgin?
2And what is the portion of God from above? And the inheritance of the Mighty from the heights?
3Is not calamity to the perverse? And strangeness to workers of iniquity?
4Doth not He see my ways, And all my steps number?
5If I have walked with vanity, And my foot doth hasten to deceit,
6He doth weigh me in righteous balances, And God doth know my integrity.
7If my step doth turn aside from the way, And after mine eyes hath my heart gone, And to my hands cleaved hath blemish,
8Let me sow -- and another eat, And my products let be rooted out.
9If my heart hath been enticed by woman, And by the opening of my neighbour I laid wait,
10Grind to another let my wife, And over her let others bend.
11For it is a wicked thing, and a judicial iniquity;
12For a fire it is, to destruction it consumeth, And among all mine increase doth take root,
13If I despise the cause of my man-servant, And of my handmaid, In their contending with me,
14Then what do I do when God ariseth? And when He doth inspect, What do I answer Him?
15Did not He that made me in the womb make him? Yea, prepare us in the womb doth One.
16If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,
17And I do eat my morsel by myself, And the orphan hath not eat of it,
18(But from my youth He grew up with me as with a father, And from the belly of my mother I am led.)
19If I see any perishing without clothing, And there is no covering to the needy,
20If his loins have not blessed me, And from the fleece of my sheep He doth not warm himself,
21If I have waved at the fatherless my hand, When I see in him the gate of my court,
22My shoulder from its blade let fall, And mine arm from the bone be broken.
23For a dread unto me is calamity from God, And because of His excellency I am not able.
24If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, 'My trust,'
25If I rejoice because great is my wealth, And because abundance hath my hand found,
26If I see the light when it shineth, And the precious moon walking,
27And my heart is enticed in secret, And my hand doth kiss my mouth,
28It also is a judicial iniquity, For I had lied to God above.
29If I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, And stirred up myself when evil found him,
30Yea, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, To ask with an oath his life.
31If not -- say ye, O men of my tent, 'O that we had of his flesh, we are not satisfied.'
32In the street doth not lodge a stranger, My doors to the traveller I open.
33If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity,
34Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.
35Who giveth to me a hearing? lo, my mark. The Mighty One doth answer me, And a bill hath mine adversary written.
36If not -- on my shoulder I take it up, I bind it a crown on myself.
37The number of my steps I tell Him, As a leader I approach Him.
38If against me my land doth cry out, And together its furrows weep,
39If its strength I consumed without money, And the life of its possessors, I have caused to breathe out,
40Instead of wheat let a thorn go forth, And instead of barley a useless weed! The words of Job are finished.
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