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