Job 31 Bible in Basic English

About BBE

Scholarly edition
OT: Masoretic Hebrew (not verified)
NT: Critical text (not verified)
Protestant (66 books)
Simplified language
1965
Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

BBE Bible in Basic English

WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)

1 I made an agreement with my eyes; how then might my eyes be looking on a virgin?

1 “I made a covenant with my eyes; how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?

2 For what is God's reward from on high, or the heritage given by the Ruler of all from heaven?

2 For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from the Almighty on high?

3 Is it not trouble for the sinner, and destruction for the evil-doers?

3 Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, and disaster to the workers of iniquity?

4 Does he not see my ways, and are not my steps all numbered?

4 Doesn’t he see my ways, and count all my steps?

5 If I have gone in false ways, or my foot has been quick in working deceit;

5 “If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit

6 (Let me be measured in upright scales, and let God see my righteousness:)

6 (let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity);

7 If my steps have been turned out of the way, or if my heart went after my eyes, or if the property of another is in my hands;

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 Let me put seed in the earth for another to have the fruit of it, and let my produce be uprooted.

8 then let me sow, and let another eat. Yes, let the produce of my field be rooted out.

9 If my heart went after another man's wife, or if I was waiting secretly at my neighbour's door;

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 give pleasure to another man and let others make use of her body.

10 then let my wife grind for another, and let others sleep with her.

11 For that would be a crime; it would be an act for which punishment would be measured out by the judges:

11 For that would be a heinous crime. Yes, it would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges,

12 It would be a fire burning even to destruction, and taking away all my produce.

12 for it is a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.

13 If I did wrong in the cause of my man-servant, or my woman-servant, when they went to law with me;

13 “If I have despised the cause of my male servant or of my female servant, when they contended with me,

14 What then will I do when God comes as my judge? and what answer may I give to his questions?

14 what then will I do when God rises up? When he visits, what will I answer him?

15 Did not God make him as well as me? did he not give us life in our mothers' bodies?

15 Didn’t he who made me in the womb make him? Didn’t one fashion us in the womb?

16 If I kept back the desire of the poor; if the widow's eye was looking for help to no purpose;

16 “If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

17 If I kept my food for myself, and did not give some of it to the child with no father;

17 or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it

18 (For I was cared for by God as by a father from my earliest days; he was my guide from the body of my mother;)

18 (no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, I have guided her from my mother’s womb);

19 If I saw one near to death for need of clothing, and that the poor had nothing covering him;

19 if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;

20 If his back did not give me a blessing, and the wool of my sheep did not make him warm;

20 if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;

21 If my hand had been lifted up against him who had done no wrong, when I saw that I was supported by the judges;

21 if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate;

22 May my arm be pulled from my body, and be broken from its base.

22 then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.

23 For the fear of God kept me back, and because of his power I might not do such things.

23 For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because of his majesty, I can do nothing.

24 If I made gold my hope, or if I ever said to the best gold, I have put my faith in you;

24 “If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, ‘You are my confidence;’

25 If I was glad because my wealth was great, and because my hand had got together a great store;

25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much;

26 If, when I saw the sun shining, and the moon moving on its bright way,

26 if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,

27 A secret feeling of worship came into my heart, and my hand gave kisses from my mouth;

27 and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth;

28 That would have been another sin to be rewarded with punishment by the judges; for I would have been false to God on high.

28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have denied the God who is above.

29 If I was glad at the trouble of my hater, and gave cries of joy when evil overtook him;

29 “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him

30 (For I did not let my mouth give way to sin, in putting a curse on his life;)

30 (I have certainly not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse);

31 If the men of my tent did not say, Who has not had full measure of his meat?

31 if the men of my tent have not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat?’

32 The traveller did not take his night's rest in the street, and my doors were open to anyone on a journey;

32 (the foreigner has not camped in the street, but I have opened my doors to the traveler);

33 If I kept my evil doings covered, and my sin in the secret of my breast,

33 if like Adam I have covered my transgressions, by hiding my iniquity in my heart,

34 For fear of the great body of people, or for fear that families might make sport of me, so that I kept quiet, and did not go out of my door;

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 If only God would give ear to me, and the Ruler of all would give me an answer! or if what he has against me had been put in writing!

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 Truly I would take up the book in my hands; it would be to me as a crown;

36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and I would bind it to me as a crown.

37 I would make clear the number of my steps, I would put it before him like a prince! The words of Job are ended.

37 I would declare to him the number of my steps. I would go near to him like a prince.

38 If my land has made an outcry against me, or the ploughed earth has been in sorrow;

38 If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together;

39 If I have taken its produce without payment, causing the death of its owners;

39 if I have eaten its fruits without money, or have caused its owners to lose their life,

40 Then in place of grain let thorns come up, and in place of barley evil-smelling plants.

40 let briers grow instead of wheat, and stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

Cross references (39)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

Quotes verse 31:25 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily XXI)
And what is more, when he had them they were no joy to him: so he also declared, saying, "If I did so much as rejoice when my wealth waxed great:" wherefore neither did he grieve when it was gone.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Quotes verse 31:1 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily XXXIII)
And if thou wouldest also hear of his strivings after continence, hearken to him when he saith, "I made a covenant with mine eyes, that I should not think upon a maid." For this cause his wife did not break his spirit, for he loved her even before this, not however immoderately, but as is due to a wife.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

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