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31:1  “I made an agreement with my eyes. I promised not to look at a young woman with impure thoughts.
31:2  What do we receive from God above? What do we get from the Mighty One in heaven?
31:3  Sinful people are destroyed. Trouble comes to those who do what is wrong.
31:4  Doesn’t God see how I live? Doesn’t he count every step I take?
31:5  “I haven’t told any lies. My feet haven’t hurried to cheat others.
31:6  So let God weigh me in honest scales. Then he’ll know I haven’t done anything wrong.
31:7  Suppose my steps have turned away from the right path. Suppose my heart has wanted what my eyes have seen. Or suppose my hands have become ‘unclean.’
31:8  Then may others eat what I’ve planted. May my crops be pulled up by the roots.
31:9  “Suppose my heart has been tempted by a woman. Or suppose I’ve prowled around my neighbor’s home.
31:10  Then may my wife grind another man’s grain. May other men sleep with her.
31:11  Wanting another woman would have been an evil thing. It would have been a sin that should be judged.
31:12  It’s like a fire that burns down to the grave. It would have caused my crops to be pulled up by the roots.
31:13  “Suppose I haven’t treated any of my male and female servants fairly when they’ve brought charges against me.
31:14  Then what will I do when God opposes me? What answer will I give him when he asks me to explain myself?
31:15  Didn’t he who made me make my servants also? Didn’t the same God form us inside our mothers?
31:16  “I haven’t said no to what poor people have wanted. I haven’t let widows lose their hope.
31:17  I haven’t kept my bread to myself. I’ve shared it with children whose fathers had died.
31:18  From the time I was young, I’ve helped those widows. I’ve raised those children as a father would.
31:19  Suppose I’ve seen people dying because they didn’t have enough clothes. I’ve seen needy people who didn’t have enough to keep warm.
31:20  And they didn’t give me their blessing when I warmed them with wool from my sheep.
31:21  Suppose I’ve raised my hand against children whose fathers have died. And I did it because I knew I had power in the courts.
31:22  Then let my arm fall from my shoulder. Let it be broken off at the joint.
31:23  I was afraid God would destroy me. His glory terrifies me. So I’d never do things like that.
31:24  “Suppose I’ve put my trust in gold. I’ve said to pure gold, ‘You make me feel secure.’
31:25  And I’m happy because I’m so wealthy. I’m glad because my hands have earned so much.
31:26  Suppose I’ve worshiped the sun in all its glory. I’ve bowed down to the moon in all its beauty.
31:27  My heart has been secretly tempted. My hand has thrown kisses to the sun and moon.
31:28  Then these things would have been sins that should be judged. And I wouldn’t have been faithful to God in heaven.
31:29  “I wasn’t happy when hard times came to my enemies. I didn’t enjoy seeing the trouble they had.
31:30  I didn’t allow my mouth to sin by asking for bad things to happen to them.
31:31  The workers in my house always said, ‘Job always gives plenty of food to everyone.’
31:32  No stranger ever had to spend the night in the street. My door was always open to travelers.
31:33  I didn’t hide my sin as other people do. I didn’t hide my guilt in my heart.
31:34  I was never afraid of the crowd. I never worried that my relatives might hate me. I didn’t have to keep quiet or stay inside.
31:35  “I wish someone would listen to me! I’m signing my name to everything I’ve said. I hope the Mighty One will give me his answer. I hope the one who brings charges against me will write them down.
31:36  I’ll wear them on my shoulder. I’ll put them on my head like a crown.
31:37  I’ll give that person a report of every step I take. I’ll present it to him like I would to a ruler.
31:38  “Suppose my land cries out against me. And all its soil is wet with tears.
31:39  Suppose I’ve used up its crops without paying for them. Or I’ve broken the spirit of its renters.
31:40  Then let thorns grow instead of wheat. Let stinkweed come up instead of barley.” The words of Job end here.