31:1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes;
  how then could I gaze at a virgin?
What would be my portion from God above
  and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is not calamity for the unrighteous,
  and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
Does not he see my ways
  and number all my steps?

“If I have walked with falsehood
  and my foot has hastened to deceit;
(Let me be weighed in a just balance,
  and let God know my integrity!)
if my step has turned aside from the way
  and my heart has gone after my eyes,
  and if any spot has stuck to my hands,
then let me sow, and another eat,
  and let what grows for me [1] be rooted out.

“If my heart has been enticed toward a woman,
  and I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door,
then let my wife grind for another,
  and let others bow down on her.
For that would be a heinous crime;
  that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
for that would be a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon,
  and it would burn to the root all my increase.

“If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant,
  when they brought a complaint against me,
what then shall I do when God rises up?
  When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
Did not he who made me in the womb make him?
  And did not one fashion us in the womb?

“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
  or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
or have eaten my morsel alone,
  and the fatherless has not eaten of it
(for from my youth the fatherless [2] grew up with me as with a father,
  and from my mother's womb I guided the widow [3]),
if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
  or the needy without covering,
if his body has not blessed me, [4]
  and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
  because I saw my help in the gate,
then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
  and let my arm be broken from its socket.
For I was in terror of calamity from God,
  and I could not have faced his majesty.

“If I have made gold my trust
  or called fine gold my confidence,
if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant
  or because my hand had found much,
if I have looked at the sun [5] when it shone,
  or the moon moving in splendor,
and my heart has been secretly enticed,
  and my mouth has kissed my hand,
this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,
  for I would have been false to God above.

“If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me,
  or exulted when evil overtook him
(I have not let my mouth sin
  by asking for his life with a curse),
if the men of my tent have not said,
  ‘Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?’
(the sojourner has not lodged in the street;
  I have opened my doors to the traveler),
if I have concealed my transgressions as others do [6]
  by hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
because I stood in great fear of the multitude,
  and the contempt of families terrified me,
  so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—
Oh, that I had one to hear me!
  (Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!)
  Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!
Surely I would carry it on my shoulder;
  I would bind it on me as a crown;
I would give him an account of all my steps;
  like a prince I would approach him.

“If my land has cried out against me
  and its furrows have wept together,
if I have eaten its yield without payment
  and made its owners breathe their last,
let thorns grow instead of wheat,
  and foul weeds instead of barley.”

“I am young in years,
  and you are aged;
therefore I was timid and afraid
  to declare my opinion to you.
I said, ‘Let days speak,
  and many years teach wisdom.’
But it is the spirit in man,
  the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
It is not the old [7] who are wise,
  nor the aged who understand what is right.
Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;
  let me also declare my opinion.’

“Behold, I waited for your words,
  I listened for your wise sayings,
  while you searched out what to say.
I gave you my attention,
  and, behold, there was none among you who refuted Job
  or who answered his words.
Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom;
  God may vanquish him, not a man.’
He has not directed his words against me,
  and I will not answer him with your speeches.

“They are dismayed; they answer no more;
  they have not a word to say.
And shall I wait, because they do not speak,
  because they stand there, and answer no more?
I also will answer with my share;
  I also will declare my opinion.
For I am full of words;
  the spirit within me constrains me.
Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent;
  like new wineskins ready to burst.
I must speak, that I may find relief;
  I must open my lips and answer.
I will not show partiality to any man
  or use flattery toward any person.
For I do not know how to flatter,
  else my Maker would soon take me away.